Decatur, GA — Chick-fil-A has confirmed it intends to move ahead with a planned relocation of its North Druid Hills Road restaurant and will build it without a drive-thru.

Tomorrow’s News Today first reported that the relocation is moving forward after neighbors opposed the restaurant’s original plan to build on the site of a former Pier 1 store due to the drive-thru. Chick-fil-A withdrew its application in May 2022.

A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A confirmed to Decaturish that the relocation is moving forward with a new concept that doesn’t include a drive-thru window. It will replace the current restaurant at 3905 North Druid Hills Road that is drive-thru only. That store doesn’t have an indoor dining area, but it does have three different drive-thru lanes.

“Chick-fil-A North Druid Hills Drive-Thru Only (3905 North Druid Hills Road) will relocate to a new location at 3795 North Druid Hills Road and be renamed Chick-fil-A North Druid Hills In-Line,” the Chick-fil-A spokesperson said. “Construction on the new restaurant will begin early next year, and the restaurant is slated to open in summer 2024, pending any delays. The current restaurant will remain open until construction of the new location is complete. While the new restaurant will not feature a drive-thru, guests can experience Chick-fil-A’s signature hospitality in the dining room and with carry-out or mobile order pick-up. We look forward to remaining a part of the community and welcoming guests into the new restaurant to serve them great food with remarkable service.”

DeKalb County Commissioner Ted Terry said the new plan will fit with the planned redevelopment of the adjacent North DeKalb Mall, which will transform the defunct shopping center into a walkable mixed use development named Lulah Hills. Terry said the county has already approved the permits to knock down the Pier 1 and build the new restaurant.

“This is a positive development as the nature of the Lulah Hills project is intent on being a more walkable and bicycle friendly redevelopment of an intensely used automobile corridor,” Terry said. “We’ve seen other Chick-fil-A locations move towards a non drive-thru model, and I believe this location will benefit from this approach to create better pedestrian safety and less traffic than otherwise.”

Not everyone is a fan of the news. Michael Pisani, who lives near the development, accused Chick-fil-A of doing an “end-run” around the neighborhood to get the restaurant built.

“I came to terms with the restaurant is going there. I just have the hardest time thinking they’re going to do it without some kind of drive thru,” he said.

Writer Logan C. Ritchie contributed to this story.

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