Listen Here
By Monica Crawford
crawfordm3@findlay.edu
On March 5, a second Chick-fil-A in Findlay officially opened its doors at 1165 W. Trenton Ave. This Chick-fil-A serves residents of the west side of the city from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Additionally, several more developments on Tiffin Avenue are expected to launch within the near future.
“It was a quick turnaround; the building took around 9 months, but the talk and planning for it started a year prior,” said Doug Jenkins, senior investor experience lead of the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce.
Chick-fil-A’s expansion was to be expected, as it follows a set pattern of Findlay businesses.
“In Findlay, chain restaurants will first go to the east side, on Tiffin, and then if they want a second location, they will usually go to Trenton because there is enough market share to not take any business where they are already at because the new location will take all the interstate traffic,” said Jenkins.
Not only will the interstate traffic appreciate this new addition to the town, but many students at UF will as well.
“I went yesterday after class, and I loved how close it was to campus,” said Kylee Pontinous, a junior in social work. “Chick-fil-A is my favorite fast food place in town.”
“It’s definitely in my top 3 favorite fast-food places in Findlay,” said Claire Herrnstein, a sophomore in animal science and equine business management. “I think this location will see more college students than the Tiffin Avenue location due to its closeness to campus.”
While the duplication of a chain restaurant in Findlay is nothing new, the Tiffin Avenue Chick-fil-A is a rarity among Chick-fil-As.
“Typically, if you own a Chick-fil-A franchise, you only own one; you rarely have two or three,” said Jenkins. “This is one of the rare cases, as the guy who has the Tiffin Avenue location was able to get this second location.”
Starting within the coming months, additional developments will be launched on the east side of Findlay on Tiffin Avenue.
“A Crumbl Cookies is also going to have a grand opening in the next month or so by the Toasted Yolk, and a Target is going in where the old mall used to be, possibly early next year,” said Jenkins. “There will also be a new commercial development by Olive Garden, where there will be a series of stores like Ulta Beauty, Five Below, and just a lot of the stores that would have been in the mall.”
“We always want to see our locally owned and operated businesses, but you also want to see the national businesses come in because it’s a good way to judge the good health of the local economy,” Jenkins said.
Many students are also aware of these new additions, but are excited for more personal than economic reasons.
“I have heard about the new businesses coming to town,” said Pontinous. “I am especially excited for Crumbl to be closer. I am also super excited for Target. I think these are both great additions to Findlay.”
Many of these businesses already have a presence in Ohio, just not in Findlay.
“I love seeing the new businesses come to Findlay; I like being able to have multiple options when deciding on a restaurant or store,” said Herrnstein. “Right now, if we want to go to Target, Five Below, or Ulta, we have to go to Perrysburg, so by bringing those closer, it makes it easier for us students to enjoy stores we are used to being close to when in our hometowns.”
“As a pet owner, I think we need more pet stores other than PetSmart. I feel like options are pretty limited,” said Herrnstein. “Food-wise, I’d love to see Skyline Chili, Bibibop, and/or Piada. I also think Findlay would benefit from another grocery store/supermarket like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.”
“My favorite restaurant is Outback, so I would love to see that come back to town,” said Pontinous. “Something else I would love to see is Bibibop.”
Overall, with the new Chick-fil-A kickstarting this new chapter of growth, there appears to be plenty of new development across Findlay.
