Source: Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is opening its first elevated drive-thru restaurant in the chain. Located south of metro Atlanta, Chick-fil-A Jodeco Road will begin serving Guests on Thursday, August 22. A first-of-its-kind restaurant for Chick-fil-A, the drive-thru only restaurant features four drive-thru lanes and an elevated kitchen with a unique meal transport system. The concept was strategically designed to increase speed-of-service and simplify the drive-thru experience for Guests. Following the opening of the Mobile Pickup concept in New York City in March, this restaurant is the second of two innovative test concepts from Chick-fil-A this year – both focused on efficiently serving the ‘on-the-go' Guest. Located at 2155 Jodeco Road, in McDonough, Georgia, Chick-fil-A Jodeco Road will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday.  

The New Elevated Drive-Thru Concept 
Since opening its first drive-thru only restaurant in 1993, the drive-thru has continued to grow as an important part of the Chick-fil-A business. Designed in an innovative way to expedite service, the Elevated Drive-Thru restaurant has four drive-thru lanes and a sophisticated conveyer belt system that streamlines food delivery by quickly moving the meal from the elevated kitchen above to a Team Member on the ground below. The kitchen is two times larger than a typical Chick-fil-A restaurant kitchen and the food conveyor system allows for a meal to be delivered to a Team Member every six seconds. Similar to other existing Chick-fil-A drive-thru only locations, there is no dining room or dine-in services at this restaurant. However, hospitality remains a focal point. Guests will continue to get the service and care that they know and love through an easy, drive-thru-focused experience. 

“Our Guests lead busy lives, and we’re focused on designing our restaurants to best serve their needs,” said Jonathan Reed, Executive Director of Design for Chick-fil-A, Inc. “With the new Elevated Drive-Thru design, featuring our first four lane drive-thru, we're aiming to deliver quality food and genuine hospitality in a way that’s uniquely Chick-fil-A, and gives our Guests time back in their day.”   

The four-lane drive-thru has the capacity to support two to three times more vehicles than a standard Chick-fil-A restaurant drive-thru. The restaurant will provide two options for Guests to get their meal: (1) they can order ahead through the Chick-fil-A^® App and pick up using the dedicated Mobile Thrulanes; or (2) they can place their order with a Team Member in the traditional drive-thru lanes. Dedicated pull-aside lanes and Team Member touch points ensure Guests continue to receive
Chick-fil-A’s signature hospitality. Guests can expect a Team Member to deliver the meal with a smile before they head on their way.  

Locally Owned and Operated
Chick-fil-A, Inc. has selected Brett Lewis as the local Owner-Operator of Chick-fil-A Jodeco Road. Lewis has served as the local Owner-Operator of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Dalton, Georgia since 2019 and he is excited to relocate back to his hometown. 

“I’ve been fortunate to work with Chick-fil-A for a long time. I am excited to move back to Stockbridge and honored to open this new concept, which happens to be four miles away from my childhood home,” said Lewis. “As a local business owner, I look forward to learning how to best serve the community I grew up in and working alongside my Team Members as we create a one-of-a-kind drive-thru experience for our Guests.” 

The Chick-fil-A franchise model is essential to how the restaurant serves others. Most Chick-fil-A restaurants are owned and operated by a single individual, which means local Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators are small business owners, not passive investors, who work in their restaurants side by side with their Team Members each day. 

At Chick-fil-A Jodeco Road, Lewis is responsible for all day-to-day activities of the business, including employing approximately 150 full- and part-time Team Members, serving Guests, cultivating relationships with local organizations and businesses and tailoring philanthropic efforts to meet the community’s needs.  

Lewis has been a part of Chick-fil-A for decades. His mother, Melanie Farmer, worked at the
Chick-fil-A Support Center in Atlanta for more than 30 years as a specialist for the Chick-fil-A^®Leadership Development Program, which ultimately inspired him to become a Team Member at a local restaurant after he graduated high school. During school breaks, Lewis also served part-time at the Support Center, never straying too far from the company.  

Just two days after his college graduation, Lewis picked backed up as a Team Member, taking on a variety of roles and responsibilities, including enrolling in the Chick-fil-A Leadership Development Program before ultimately becoming a local Owner-Operator. Lewis and his wife Barbi, whom he met while working at Chick-fil-A, and their two kids Braylee and Bubba, are thrilled to open Chick-fil-A Jodeco Road and begin serving the Stockbridge/McDonough community. 

Caring for the Stockbridge/McDonough Community 
To commemorate the opening of Chick-fil-A Jodeco Road, Chick-fil-A is giving back to the local community in several ways:  

• Chick-fil-A Jodeco Road will recognize 100 local heroes making an impact in the Stockbridge/McDonough community by providing them with free Chick-fil-A entrées for a year.

• Chick-fil-A, Inc. will donate $25,000 to Feeding America in honor of the new restaurant. The funds will be distributed to partners in the greater Stockbridge/McDonough area to aid in the fight against hunger.

• Chick-fil-A Jodeco Road will also participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table^® program, an initiative that helps redirect surplus food from Chick-fil-A restaurants to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits to feed those in need. To date, more than 25 million meals have been served from Chick-fil-A Shared Table donations with nearly 2,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants spanning 47 states, Washington, D.C. and Canada participating in the program.  

For the latest news and updates on Chick-fil-A Jodeco Road visit the local restaurant’s Facebook page. For more information about Chick-fil-A and stories about the company’s food, people and customers across the country, visit chick-fil-a.com.