Chick-fil-A Joliet Opens: 'We Are Excited To Serve This Area'

JOLIET, IL — The days of asking whether Joliet will ever get a Chick-fil-A restaurant are over. At 6:30 a.m. Thursday, about 50 cars were lined around the perimeter of 2705 Plainfield Road. They were waiting to place their order at the new Joliet Chick-fil-A.

Around 8 a.m., new Joliet City Manager Jim Capparelli, Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk and a few city staff showed up at the new Chick-fil-A.

They were impressed.

O'Dekirk said he picked up five egg white grill breakfast sandwiches and five chicken biscuits for the employees at his downtown Joliet law firm.

"The law firm told me not to come back empty-handed," Joliet's mayor told Patch.

The Chick-fil-A redevelopment project on Plainfield Road took a couple years to materialize, but it happened.

Last summer, the rapidly expanding Atlanta-based fast-food franchise bulldozed the former Lone Star Steakhouse on Plainfield Road to build its new restaurant, which features a double drive-thru.

"I keep saying, even during the pandemic, the city of Joliet keeps moving forward," O'Dekirk remarked Thursday. "This is a great location for Chick-fil-A. We've got a new Costco up the road, the new Binny's, even though there's been a couple of stores closing at the Louis Mall, new businesses keep coming in and replacing them."

Joliet's new Chick-fil-A will open for drive-thru service and mobile curbside pickup from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Kris Yoder, an Illinois native, is the franchise owner and operator for the Joliet location.

The Joliet restaurant is keeping its dining room closed for the time being to comply with Governor J.B. Pritzker's health guidelines amid the pandemic.

On Thursday morning, Yoder greeted Joliet's mayor and Capparelli, the new city manager, who said he was already familiar with Chick-fil-A from his time in the South during military duty.

"We are excited for the chance to serve the area," Yoder told Joliet Patch.

Added Capparelli, "This is great for Joliet."