Another North American chicken chain has announced it’s opening in Northern Ireland, this time as part of a $100m (£837m) UK-wide expansion.
Chick-fil-A is following in the footsteps of Popeyes and Mary Brown’s Chicken, which have all opened in Northern Ireland this year.
The company has said it plans to create 400 jobs in total as it opens in Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool and London, making the UK its first location outside the US.
The business, famous for its Original Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich, plans to open five venues – both licensed and locally-owned and operated models – in the UK over its first two years.
But it told Belfast Telegraph it had no further details on the location of its first Belfast site.
Anita Costello, chief international officer at Chick-fil-A, Inc, said: “Serving communities is at the heart of everything we do, and we look forward to bringing Chick-fil-A’s delicious food and signature hospitality to Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool and London, and continuing our long-term investment in the UK.
“From job creation to supporting local causes, we are excited about the positive impact our first restaurants will have in the communities they serve.”
And it said that as part of its “longstanding mission to aid in the fight against hunger,” it would donate £25,000 to a local non-profit organisation to celebrate the opening of each new restaurant.
Its Chick-fil-A Shared Table programme redirects surplus food from Chick-fil-A restaurants to soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and non-profits in need.
The company said its “unique” owner-operator model means that nearly 80% of Chick-fil-A local owner-operators own only one restaurant, at an investment of approximately $10,000 (£8,400).
Each local owner-operator becomes responsible for all day-to-day activities of the business.
Joanna Symonds, head of UK operations, said: “We’ve always cared about the impact of our restaurants on the local communities that we serve, and we strive to positively impact areas throughout the UK.
“Caring for people, while delivering great food, is at the heart of our brand, and we encourage our local Owner-Operators to partner with organisations which support their local communities.”
It said it wants to hear from anyone interested in becoming a franchise owner-operator in the UK. It said licensing opportunities are available to licensed food service providers and self-operated food service providers.
Watch: Exclusive look inside first Popeyes in Belfast