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Chick-Fil-A has announced plans to open its first permanent restaurant in the UK and Singapore later this year.
In a news release on August 26th, the chicken chain announced it would open its first restaurant in Leeds in the fall, opening a Singapore location in late 2025, marking the beginning of a decade-long $75 million investment in Asia.
Chick-fil-a outlined plans to open restaurants in Europe and Asia by 2026 and five international locations by 2030. The company announced in 2023 that it plans to open five locally owned and operated restaurants in the UK in the first two years of its plan, and then continue to expand in the UK from there. All brands plan to invest more than $100 million in the UK over the course of 10 years.
In September 2024, the company announced that it would open new restaurants in Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool and London, marking the chain’s first location outside of North America.
“Expanding in both Europe and Asia is a meaningful milestone for Chick-Fil-A,” according to a news release on August 26th. said Andrew T. Chathy, CEO of the company. “The investments we make in the UK and Singapore are not only opportunities for our business, but also opportunities to bring Chick Phil something that makes something special in a new place.
Both Leeds and Singapore restaurants are owned and operated by individuals born and raised in the countries they serve. Chick-fil-A says each restaurant will add between 70 and 120 new jobs through local employment.
“Where we do business, our unique franchise model and the dedication of our local Chickfil A owner operators who are deeply involved in our restaurants every day are key to our success.”
The history of Chickfil A in the UK
The company opened a temporary store in a UK reading mall in 2019 and quickly met protests from local LGBTQ+ rights activists.
Oracle, the shopping mall where the restaurant leased the space, did not allow Chickfil A to extend the lease beyond the “six-month pilot period,” according to the BBC.
In 2019, the BBC reported that a pride campaigner reading campaigners for local LGBTQ advocacy groups asked people to boycott the chain with a million dollar donation to organizations such as the Christian Athlete Fellowship, Paul Anderson Youth Home, and the US Salvation Army.
According to Reading Pride at the time, all three organizations had a reputation for being hostile to LGBTQ rights.
“We are stubbornly opposed to Chick-fil-a, who set up shops in the UK and certainly read,” the group said in 2019. Statement on X, previously known as Twitter. “The chain’s spirit and moral attitude are completely contrary to our values. We have been a progressive country that (legalized) same-sex marriage for several years and have been striving for equality.”
In late 2019, Chick-Fil-A changed its approach to charitable giving in response to criticism from LGBTQ rights groups. In a statement, the company said it will “deepen donations to a small number of organizations” by focusing on education, homelessness and hunger.
“In addition, the foundation no longer makes a multi-year commitment and will have the greatest impact by reevaluating its philanthropic partnerships each year,” the company said in a statement. “These partners could include faith-based charities and non-faith-based charities.”
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter for USA Today. You can follow him with X @geuna Alternatively, email him at gdhauari@gannett.com.
