Chick-fil-A looking to open in Greece
A fast food chain known for its tasty chicken sandwiches will make its first foray into Monroe County at a location across from The Mall at Greece Ridge.
Georgia-based Chick-fil-A has asked the Town of Greece to consider granting a special use permit that would clear the way for a 5,000-square-foot restaurant on the north side of West Ridge Road between Ridgecrest and Standish roads. A public hearing will be held on Jan. 17.
Gary Tajkowski, Greece's director of development services, said the developers, CC/SSI West Ridge LLC also need two parcels of land at the proposed restaurant location rezoned from residential to commercial. A public hearing on that request will be held the same night as hearing on the special use permit.
It's too early to say when the restaurant could open, he said. If both requests are approved next month, the developers would still need to get site plan approval from the town's Planning Board before any construction could begin.
The proposal so far calls for entrances off of Ridgecrest and Standish roads, and a brick building with a drive-through, Tajkowski said.
Chick-fil-A is famous for its breaded, boneless chicken breast sandwich (between two buttered buns) as well as its popular advertising campaign featuring a cow urging people to "eat mor chikin."
The Greece Town Board approved scheduling the public hearings during a meeting on Tuesday.
Rumors have been percolating for months over the thought of the chain's famous chicken breast sandwich.
The chicken chain has been looking to expand its reach into the New York market. The company, with sales that exceeded $6 billion in 2015, opened two restaurants in New York City in the past year and has been scouting upstate locations in the Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo and Rochester areas.
The company has more than 2,000 restaurants in 46 states and Washington, D.C. For now, the closest restaurant to Rochester is right off of I-90 in Erie, Pennsylvania.
In May, Carrie Kurlander, Chick-fil-A's vice-president of public relations issued the following statement about potentially opening in Rochester: "We are always evaluating potential new locations in the hopes of serving existing and new customers great food with remarkable service. While we hope to serve the Rochester community in the future, we do not currently have any locations to confirm."
Also on Jan. 17, the Greece Town Board will hold public hearings on a proposed rezoning and special use permit needed to allow a Bill Gray's Taproom to move forward at 1161 North Greece Road. The Town Board meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 1 Vince Tofany Blvd.