Chick‑fil‑A is about to give Denver drivers a new reason to queue up. Colorado's first drive‑thru‑only Chick‑fil‑A prototype opens next week at Runway 35 South, with local owner‑operator Jason Sutton at the helm and a clear mission to move cars quickly without cutting out walk‑up regulars.
According to Chick‑fil‑A, Chick‑fil‑A Runway 35 South at 9111 E. 40th Ave. will start serving at 6 a.m. on Thursday and then operate Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to midnight. The restaurant will offer drive‑thru, carry‑out, third‑party delivery and a dedicated Mobile Thru lane for app users. "We're not just opening another restaurant, we're expanding our ability to serve a community we care deeply about," Sutton said in the company announcement. The brand describes the site as Colorado's first "drive‑thru only" prototype, designed to move orders faster during peak periods.
Where it sits in the neighborhood
The new restaurant lands near the northeast corner of 40th Avenue and Central Park Boulevard in a stretch marketed as Runway 35 South, which is being built out with highway‑friendly retail. EvGre lists Chick‑fil‑A among the development's tenants, and local reporting from WhatNow places the pad between I‑70 and 40th Avenue behind a QuikTrip. The corridor has been planned with multiple drive‑thru pads as Runway 35 South continues to fill in.
Opening‑day perks and a community donation
To kick things off, Chick‑fil‑A says it will host a "Moove‑In Party" on opening day. Guests who show up in cow attire can score one free entrée or kids' meal while supplies last, according to Chick‑fil‑A. The company has also pledged a $25,000 donation to Feeding America and expects the new restaurant to create roughly 65 local jobs. Once open, the Runway 35 South location will join more than 40 Chick‑fil‑A restaurants already serving the Denver market.
Part of a wider push toward faster service
Industry watchers have been tracking Chick‑fil‑A's recent experiments with multi‑lane and mobile-thru concepts as the chain leans harder into faster pickup and app‑based orders. NACS detailed the brand's elevated drive‑thru tests last year, while local coverage notes the company now operates more than 3,000 restaurants and has flagged broader expansion plans. As reported by 9News, those plans include growth beyond the United States.
