It’s official. Chick-fil-A on Magnolia Ave. will serve its last chicken sandwich and lemonade in their current building on Saturday, Aug. 31.
The store is closing to make way for a new student housing and retail development. Chick-fil-A is slated to reopen in August of 2021 in the same location and as a part of the larger development, said franchise owner Bob McFadden.
“When we open, we will be in the same location,” McFadden said. “It’s just that we will have a building on top of us with 700 students.”
The revamped location will also feature a larger parking lot and drive-thru.
“It’s a win for the city,” McFadden said. “It’s a win for the University. And it’s a win for our business.”
Current employees of the Chick-fil-A on Magnolia will relocate to other Chick-fil-A restaurants around the state. Many employees are students, and are moving to locations on campus, the Auburn Mall or in Tiger Town, McFadden said.
McFadden said he will relocate to Eufala, Alabama, along with eight other employees, to open another Chick-fil-A location in late October.
“We’re going to miss Auburn,” McFadden said. “There’s not a better place in the world to run a Chick-fil-A than right here on the Plains. We’re going to be back and bigger and better.”
Auburn Twitter has not taken kindly to the news. Former Auburn football player Kerryon Johnson, a self-proclaimed Chick-fil-A fan, was among the many voicing their disappointment.
Chick-fil-A on Magnolia Avenue is the latest of closures announced. Several houses surrounding the building were torn down earlier this month in preparation for the large housing and retail development.
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Elizabeth, senior in journalism and political science, is the community editor for The Plainsman
