Applegreen has signed a new licensing partnership with the US fast-food chain Chick-fil-A to open two new outlets in the north in the coming weeks.
The Atlanta-based company announced in September that Northern Ireland would feature in plans to open its first five UK restaurants in early 2025.
Applegreen has now confirmed Chick-Fil-A will open at its Lisburn south motorway service area on the M1 later this month, followed by the second location at Applegreen Templepatrick on the M2 in March.
The roadside retail specialist said the new restaurants will create 70 new jobs, bringing Applegreen’s overall employment numbers in the north to 351 across five sites.
Applegreen has also confirmed that Chick-Fil-A will not open on Sundays, which has remained a company policy since its foundation in 1946.
Chick-Fil-A previously abandoned a move into the UK market after facing protests from gay rights campaigners.
The 79-year-old fast food company, which retains many of the values of its Christian founder S. Truett Cathy, opened a pop-up outlet in west London during 2019.
The site in Reading later closed following a backlash from LGBT protesters over the company’s donations to Christian organisations opposed to same-sex marriage.
Five years on, Chick-Fil-A, which subsequently ended donations to anti-LGBT groups, has announced plans to open new sites in Belfast, London, Leeds and Liverpool.
The company, which has more than 3,000 restaurants in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, is known for its Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich - a breaded, boneless chicken breast served on a toasted bun with pickles, lettuce, tomato, and cheese.
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“We are delighted to be bringing Chick-fil-A to Northern Ireland with this new partnership agreement,” said Caroline Cherington, regional operations director for Applegreen.
“Having successfully operated Chick-fil-A restaurants in the United States for several years, we know how much customers love their high-quality food, and we’re excited to introduce this brand to a new audience.”
