KENNEWICK, Wash. – The Tri-Cities is about to welcome its first Chick-fil-A, with doors opening at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday. Anticipation is high, and local authorities are preparing for the influx of visitors.
Traffic Officer Sebastian Castilleja shared the Kennewick Police Department‘s plan to manage traffic on West Canal Drive.
“We’re asking people if they are visiting the Chick-fil-A to come in off of Young,” Castilleja said. “So if you take Canal and then enter on Young, we will divert traffic from there into the Chick-fil-A parking lot.”
Officer Castilleja also says there will be different lines depending on your visit to the restaurant. For instance, there will be one line for mobile pickups, one for door dashing, and one for dining in. Customers will not be able to use Crosswind Boulevard to access the new restaurant.
Additional officers will be stationed on Canal Drive to manage the expected traffic surge. Depending on the turnout, more officers may be assigned in the coming days.
Rohana Carmichael, the Economic Development Manager for the City of Kennewick, says the new restaurant will bring more than just traffic.
“We anticipate it will increase the foot traffic and driving traffic to that area, increasing the visitations to the neighboring businesses, as well as all the tax revenue that are going to be brought in with this new location for Chick-fil-A,” Carmichael stated.
The Chick-fil-A is expected to create around 75 new jobs in the Tri-Cities. Carmichael also noted that the presence of Chick-fil-A has attracted interest from other businesses.
“We have a lot of other brands that are interested in the area now that they’ve heard that Chick-fil-A is making a commitment to our community,” she said.
Officer Castilleja also reminds customers to follow the rules of the road and never leave your car unattended on the side of the road. Those who do can have their vehicles towed by the city.
For a closer look at the traffic map provided by the Kennewick Police Department, click here.
