Gresham will soon add Chick-fil-A

Vanessa Lemke
Staff Writer

Chick-fil-A is a very popular restaurant in the United States. Oregon, however, only has a few locations. The locations around Sandy and Multnomah County include one in Clackamas, Hillsboro and Beaverton. All of these locations are a bit of a drive from the Sandy/Boring area but luckily for Chick-fil-A lovers there is a new, close location being built in Gresham.

The day this new location will open has not been released yet and varies depending on the severity of Covid-19 when construction is complete. The building will be located across the street from the Gresham Fred Meyer off of Southeast Burnside Road.

“I’m excited for their opening because I really like the food there but there’s never been one close to Sandy,” sophomore Emily Smelser said.

This location will have both a drive-thru window and parking lot that holds more than 90 vehicles for dining in or quickly getting your food. Chick-fil-A has expanded their business dramatically over the years and has only recently expanded into Oregon. Plans on opening more restaurants in Oregon, including one in Tigard and Portland, have been approved and are in progress.

Students are very excited about this new addition to Gresham.

“I will definitely go when it opens. I love Chick-fil-A, everything is made out of deep fried chicken!” sophomore Kary Hunt said.

“The workers at Chick-fil-A are very nice and their food is great, I would recommend,” sophomore Austin Cioffi said.

 Although this fast food joint is very popular, some students have never had Chick-fil-A considering the majority of their restaurants are located outside of Oregon, especially in the Los Angeles area and Texas.

“I’ve never had Chick-fil-A before but I hear their chicken is really good so I’m looking forward to trying that,” sophomore Justin Foley said.

Even though Chick-fil-A is liked by many, they have had their share of controversy that has impacted their business. It has been reported that Chick-fil-A is homophobic. Tax files from 2017 came out in 2019 revealing that the company donated $1.8 million to anti-LGBTQ+ groups. This has shifted some people’s perspective on the food chain and if people should be buying food from them because of these acts.

“I have never had Chick-fil-A and I plan not to in the future as well. They have been known to donate money towards anti-LGBTQA+ organizations, and I don’t think it would be logical for me to give them any of my money because I am not in support of their opinions and beliefs,” junior Aimee Wessels said.