Another Chick-fil-A opens this week in the Charlotte area, with takeout only for now

Chick-fil-A continues to expand in the Charlotte region, with another restaurant opening this week.

Chick-fil-A will open Thursday at 7404 Matthews Mint Hill Road in Mint Hill, southeast of Charlotte, according to a company news release Monday.

It will the company’s 58th store in the Charlotte region, according to Chick-fil-A.

The Mint Hill restaurant will initially open for drive-thru and carry-out only, and third-party delivery will be available soon for the popular Southern fast-food chicken chain.

“As some areas reopen and conditions evolve, you may see some of our restaurants open their dining rooms and other safety practices change,” according to Chick-fil-A’s COVID-19 response page on its website.

The company also is forgoing its usual opening fanfare. Instead of its traditional Chick-fil-A camp-out opening promotions that give away free food to the first 100 customers, the store will surprise 100 “local heroes,” such as healthcare workers, making an impact in Mint Hill with free food for a year.

Contactless ordering and payment are available on the Chick-fil-A mobile app or by ordering online. Hours will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday and 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

The Atlanta-based company most recently opened a restaurant in July in Belmont, west of Charlotte in Gaston County. Chick-fil-A also reopened its renovated East Woodlawn Avenue location last month as a drive-thru only site to ease traffic congestion.

A Chick-fil-A at 1600 Hwy. 160 West in Fort Mill, S.C., also closed for renovations to create a second drive-thru lane to ease traffic problems near Interstate 77. A reopening date has not been set.

The Mint Hill restaurant will be the second store for franchise owner Hal Queen, who grew up on the east side of Charlotte and graduated from UNC Charlotte. Queen opened the Albemarle Road restaurant in 2011.

The restaurant will employ about 100 full- and part-time workers.

Founded in 1967, Chick-fil-A is a family-owned and privately held restaurant company with more than 2,600 restaurants in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.

Chicken competition

Chick-fil-A isn’t the only chicken chain expanding in Charlotte.

Arkansas-based Slim Chickens plans to open its first North Carolina next month in Charlotte and California-based Dave’s Hot Chicken said last month it plans to open at least 12 restaurants in North Carolina, including in Charlotte.

The growing local competition comes as Charlotte-based Bojangles plots its own expansion across the country.

The iconic Southern chicken-and-biscuit chain plans to open nearly 90 stores, including debuts in Ohio, New York and Texas, and a return to Orlando, Florida. Bojangles also is opening more stores in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Tennessee after opening its first restaurants in Arkansas and Illinois last year at Love’s Travel stops.