Chick-fil-A To Open New Upper East Side Location

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Southern chicken chain Chick-fil-A will continue its expansion into the New York City's fast-food market Thursday when it opens its newest location on the Upper East Side.

Chick-fil-A's Upper East Side restaurant will occupy an 8,000-square-foot space spread out among three stories at 1536 Third Ave., located between East 86th and East 87th streets, according to a company spokesperson.

The new restaurant will employ Chick-fil-A's "upstream" ordering method where workers take orders as customers wait in line. The restaurant's second-level will feature 54 seats with tables that can accommodate groups of up to 10 people, according to a company spokesperson.

Chick-fil-A franchisee Jared Caldwell, an Astoria resident, is in charge of the new Upper East Side location.

"It’s been a dream to grow from being a Chick-fil-A Team Member to a franchise Owner," Caldwell said in a statement. "I’m so proud to call New York City home, and I can’t wait to serve my community fresh, made-from-scratch food with a world-class service experience."

The new chain restaurant will employ 125 people, a Chick-fil-A spokesperson said.

There are currently ten Chick-Fil-A restaurants operating in New York City. Of those locations, one is one of the chain's most visited locations and another is the largest Chick-Fil-A the chain has ever opened. Most of the chain's expansion has been targeted at Manhattan, but there is one Chick-Fil-A located in the Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst and another in Staten Island.

Since the chain expanded to New York City in 2015 the company has hired more than 1,000 people and served millions of customers, according to a press release.