Warwick, RI – Weeks after Chick-fil-A’s first Rhode Island restaurant opened at 1500 Bald Hill Road, there are still lines of patrons outside the doors and cars filling the double-lane drive-thru.
“We’ve been doing some brisk business,” said a modest Toushoua Xiong.
Traffic to the restaurant has slowed a little since the first few weeks of their operation in Warwick, Xiong said.
The only complaint from customers has been that the interior could have been larger, he explained, adding that unfortunately, the space was built as large as city regulations would allow.
Indeed, demand for the franchise’s renowned chicken sandwiches has been generating a lot of traffic to the store, of the foot and vehicular variety. Inside, despite a winding set of crowd-control lines maximizing interior waiting space, people are still spending a few minutes waiting outside the restaurant’s doors before the unfailingly cheerful staff works through orders.
“The corporate office is very happy with how the State of Rhode Island has received us,” said Xiong.
That bodes well for his cause, and that of other Chick-fil-A fans, who are eager to see more franchises in Rhode Island. Xiong, who noted he’s not privy to the home office’s thinking on the subject, said they’ll take a look at sales to the store over time to determine if the state ought to get another Chick Fil-a location.
Meanwhile, Xiong said, he’s focused on the restaurant’s long-term success.
Author: Rob Borkowski
Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.
This is a test
