Here are 10 things to know about SW Florida locations for Chick-fil-A opening and closing

New Chick-fil-A restaurants are in the works for Southwest Florida. And current Lee and Collier County spots will be updated to speed up service.

Look for even more beyond that, as the fast food giant also known as CFA, with about 2,800 U.S. spots now, builds about 100 a year, according to industry publication NRN, which focuses on food service.

Here’s 10 things to know about new Chick-fil-A sites coming to Southwest Florida, and where efforts are being made to get your chicken sandwich to you faster.

1. New Chick-fil-A eatery near Coastland Center and Naples High

One planned site has cleared the Naples Design Review Board’s preliminary hurdles near the Coastland Center at Red Lobster’s former home, sure to draw Naples High students as an alternative to the mall food court they rule. Latest plans show a 5,432-square-foot restaurant, with 50 parking spots. There are 78 seats inside, and 24 outside. The drive-thru could accommodate up to 49 cars.

2. Great Wolf Lodge magnet helps draw Chick-fil-A further east

Similarly, between sitting inside or driving around outside, Chick-fil-A operators can juggle more than 210 customers at once based on plans for 5,336 square feet for 3819 White Lake Blvd., just west of the Great Wolf Lodge growth magnet. It’s been hot and heavy the past 30 days as they “Play that Funky Music” through the permitting process. Over the summer, the plug was pulled on another proposed Collier project on Pine Ridge Road near Vineyards.

3. What other restaurants are joining Chick-fil-A in Lehigh Acres?

Still in the works is a 5,614-square-footer slated for Homestead Road near South Loop Boulevard in Lehigh Acres, which is the target of other enterprises, according to Lee County records. Among them: Chipotle on Lee Boulevard near Hanna Avenue and a Dunkin at Leonard Boulevard and Gunnery Road. Elsewhere in Lee, there wasn’t significant progress last year on a CFA discussed in an informal 2023 meeting with local officials as a Shoppes of Grande Oak outparcel, potentially replacing the Perkins there.

4. Why did Chick-fil-A close its Estero site, and what’s planned?

But as part of what has been described as the biggest change in Chick-fil-A’s nearly six decades of existence, current locations around Southwest Florida are also starting overhauls including in Estero, which temporarily closed in January for about 14 weeks. “Our store will begin a transformational remodel,” the company said in a statement. The planned completion is for as soon as April, with a similar endeavor just starting in the Palmer Ranch area of Sarasota. Another is expected in Cape Coral.

5. What will revamp efforts in SW Florida entail for Chick-fil-A?

Revamping efforts include a new dining room and larger kitchen. A major focus is “a reimagined drive-thru design for better traffic flow.” In conjunction, the chain has been upgrading mobile pickup, according to Nathaniel Cates Sr., principal design lead: “We are always looking for ways to innovate. (While) digital concepts are becoming more prevalent, it’s important that we evolve in a uniquely Chick-fil-A way ― meeting the changing needs of our customers without compromising the signature service.”

6. What is Chick-fil-A’s ‘Mobile Thru,’ a concept for SWFL spots?

“Scrape and rebuild” has included removal of antiquated child play areas, placement of sliding glass doors and the addition of a dedicated drive-thru lane for mobile pickups, like in Sanford in December, Florida’s most recent. The latter, known as Mobile Thru, was tested for two years before expanding in the Chick-fil-A app, according to Julie Ledford, outside integration lead: “We are creating an easier and more efficient experience. (With) Mobile Thru, guests will have the opportunity to order and pay ahead.”

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7. How does Chick-fil-A rank in wait times compared to others?

The major challenge for the company has been the delay in getting food orders to customers. It annually finishes last in wait times in the yearly QSR drive-thru report, and that was no different in the new 2024 findings, where it was referred to as the “slowest brand.” For total time, Chick-fil-A patrons waited 479 seconds on average. McDonald’s was ninth out of 10 at 376 seconds. Numero Uno: Taco Bell, 256 seconds.

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8. How much money does an average Chick-fil-A bring in yearly?

But maybe that’s the price of success, with its dedicated followers ranking them at the top in popularity despite speed. An average unit for Chick-fil-A brings in $9.3 million a year, with one in 2023 reporting $19.1 million, which is nearly $7 million more than the typical take of a Cheesecake Factory.

9. What percent of Chick-fil-A sales are digital? What’s the future?

With the conundrum, Southwest Florida may be in store for a different look down the line, depending on how it goes with testing CFA just started in New York and its hometown metro Atlanta, where it emerged in 1967 in a mall food court. In the Big Apple, the chain opened its first ever mobile pickup ― sans a seating area and dine-in services dining ― with the goal of timing app-ordered meal with the guest’s arrival through geofencing. That’s key as NRN reports CFA’s digital sales have reached 40%.

10. What is new Chick-fil-A elevated drive-thru transport system?

In Atlanta, CFA debuted an elevated drive-thru only concept, with the kitchen above four lanes. It features what it termed “a unique meal transport system (using) a sophisticated conveyer belt system that streamlines food delivery by quickly moving the meal from the elevated kitchen above to a team Member on the ground below” every six seconds. The kitchen is two times larger than its typical, and the drive-thru has the capacity to support two to three times more vehicles than its standard setup.

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network’s most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 10 things to know about new Chick-fil-A locations in Southwest Florida