Chick-fil-A opening new store in the Charlotte area after closing another one nearby

The popular fast-food chicken chain Chick-fil-A has set an opening date for its newest Charlotte-area store.

Chick-fil-A Cox Road at 424 Cox Road in Gastonia will officially open Thursday, according to a company news release Tuesday.

The city’s first and only Chick-fil-A at 3350 East Franklin Blvd. permanently closed earlier this month. The June 15 closing resulted in 117 employee layoffs, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

The Franklin Square workers were paid through their last day of employment at the company-operated store but could apply for jobs at the new Gastonia restaurant, according to Chick-fil-A.

The Cox Road store has about 115 full- and part-time employees, Chick-fil-A said.

The new store is about 1 mile from Franklin Square on the former Ruby Tuesday site.

About the new Chick-fil-A store

The Cox Road store, off Interstate 85, will feature dine-in, drive-thru and carry-out services.

Instead of the company’s traditional Chick-fil-A camp-out opening with free food giveaways, the store will surprise 100 “local heroes.” The restaurant will announce more information on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Chick-fil-A said.

Franchise owner is Nolan Hatley, who started working for Chick-fil-A at age 14 at the Concord Mills store in Concord, N.C. Hatley graduated from UNC Charlotte and has operated Chick-fil-A Quaker Bridge Mall in New Jersey for 12 years, according to the news release.

The Cox Road restaurant will participate in Shared Table Program, providing surplus food to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits.

Store hours are 6 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday and 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Other recent Chick-fil-A store openings

The Atlanta-based chain has opened several other stores in the Charlotte region within the past year.

In October, Chick-fil-A opened a store at 7404 Matthews Mint Hill Road in Mint Hill, southeast of Charlotte.

In July, Chick-fil-A opened a Gaston County restaurant at 925 South Point Road in Belmont.

And, last June, Chick-fil-A reopened its renovated East Woodlawn Avenue store in Charlotte as drive-thru only.