Dive Brief:

• Chick-fil-A will open its first digital-only mobile pickup location in New York City on March 21, the company said in a press release emailed to Restaurant Dive. The new restaurant will be at 79th and 2nd within the Upper East Side.
• Customers will be able to order ahead on the Chick-fil-A app and the restaurant will use geofencing to see when guests are on their way and time order completion to their arrival, Chick-fil-A wrote in an email. 
• The digital-only restaurant is the first of two new digital-focused test restaurants from Chick-fil-A. The second such unit is an elevated drive-thru concept slated to open later this year.

Dive Insight:

The digital-only prototype will allow Chick-fil-A to open in urban centers and markets with heavy foot traffic — locations typically not suitable for a traditional drive-thru restaurant. Rival chains like Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Panera have been testing pickup-only digital units suitable for metro areas, as well.

Chick-fil-A will monitor the restaurant closely to see if the concept could work in other markets, especially areas with high mobile demand, the chain wrote in an email. 

This digital restaurant is also a culmination of the chain’s ongoing technology tests. Last year, Chick-fil-A added geofencing to its mobile app, which trimmed wait times. The tech also provides customers with an estimated time for when their order will be ready. The company also expanded its mobile pickup lanes test to over 300 restaurants in September, although the new New York City restaurant doesn’t have a drive-thru. 

The walk-up design, which is 3,500 square feet, will have an interior, but no dining room. The space includes a standard kitchen and staging area with a small front-of-house area where guests will pick up their meals. The inside of the restaurant will include active status boards for mobile and delivery orders so guests and delivery drivers can see the status of orders in real time, the company said. 

“At Chick-fil-A, we are always looking for ways to innovate and enhance the Guest experience,” said Nathaniel Cates, senior principal design lead for Chick-fil-A. “While digital concepts are becoming more prevalent, it’s important that we evolve in a uniquely Chick-fil-A way – meeting the changing needs of our customers without compromising the signature service and care they’ve grown to know and love.” 

The restaurant will be owned and operated by Jared Caldwell, who already owns a Chick-fil-A restaurant on 3rd Avenue and 86th Street in New York City. Caldwell has experience in a tech startup and is “uniquely qualified to open Chick-fil-A’s first digital-focused concept,” the company said.