NORWALK — Norwalk’s Chick-fil-A is set to re-open on Thursday after closing for several months to renovate the drive-thru and increase capacity.
“It’s finally happening,” announced the Chick-fil-A located at 467 Connecticut Ave. in a Facebook post.
The location closed at the end of September to address the drive-thru congestion issue or “car-pocalypse,” as Planning and Zoning Commissioner Nick Kantor described it during a meeting in July.
“We will be open 6:30 am — 10:00 pm Monday-Saturday,” the post said. “We can’t wait to welcome you home. We look forward to seeing all of you again soon.”
The Norwalk store finishes its renovation days after Fairfield celebrated on Dec. 7 the grand opening of a new Chick-fil-A at 750 Post Road.
Unlike Norwalk, Fairfield’s Chick-fil-A does not have a drive-thru feature after the initial proposal was rejected by the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
The popular Georgian fried-chicken fast food chain has caused traffic issues with its several Connecticut locations, including Norwalk.
Norwalk averages nearly 25,000 vehicles daily, according to estimates in a real estate listing. Chick-fil-A has one of the busiest drive-thru windows compared to other national chains, a 2019 study found.
Fears of a busy drive-thru have nixed past plans for the franchise to expand in Stamford at the Bull’s Head intersection.
Fairfield’s solution was to simply eliminate the drive-thru and work with local police to mitigate traffic during the opening buzz.
Norwalk’s Chick-fil-A’s original traffic pattern could not handle the demand. Now, with the renovated drive-thru, customers will no longer loop around the building but drive to the back of the parking lot to the side pick-up window.
In addition to the new drive thru pattern, the interior was renovated and seating was expanded.
