Chick-fil-A makes it official, submits plan for new restaurant in Olympia
Chick-fil-A, a controversial but popular national fast-food chain, has submitted plans for its first restaurant in Olympia.
The city of Olympia announced Friday that it has received a land-use application for the new restaurant, dual drive-through and associated parking at 2930 Capital Mall Drive SW, which is Capital Mall property.
City officials say the project will require an administrative parking modification to increase parking above the amount required by code.
The site of the proposed restaurant is now the location of Fujiyama Steakhouse. Owner Charlie Kang said Monday his lease expires Jan. 31 and he intends to move his restaurant early next year into an 8,000-square-foot location on Cooper Point Road Southwest, near a Five Guys Burgers and soon-to-open Nordstrom Rack. The new location is less than a mile from his current location.
Kang emphasized Monday that Fujiyama is open for business now.
The city currently is accepting comments on Chick-fil-A’s proposal for the Capital Mall Drive site. Comments should be sent to lead planner Jackson Ewing at jewing@ci.olympia.wa.us. The comment period ends at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15.
Before that deadline, however, the city is going to host a public information meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 5 on Zoom.
“Questions about both the proposal and the city’s review procedure will be welcomed,” the land-use notification reads.
The Chick-fil-A in Lacey, the only other Chick-fil-A in Thurston County, is frequently busy but it also has been generating controversy. Some residents became alarmed after Chick-fil-A sponsored a Children’s Day event at Huntamer Park because of the company’s past anti-LGBTQ positions.
Residents spoke out at a North Thurston Public Schools and Lacey City Council meetings about the sponsorship, ultimately prompting a sponsorship policy change at the city of Lacey.
This story was originally published August 28, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
