Chick-fil-A, known for its chicken sandwiches and nuggets, plans to open a South Portland location, which will be its third Maine restaurant.
Construction is underway on the standalone restaurant in the parking lot of the Maine Mall Plaza, near Macy’s. The Atlanta-based company told Mainebiz in an email on Monday that the restaurant is expected to open in early 2027.
In the area, it competes with McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Popeyes.
The project is being built by Construction Management and Builders Inc., a Beverly, Mass.-based construction management and general contracting firm.
Chick-fil-A said each restaurant creates approximately 80 to 120 jobs.
The South Portland location will expand Chick-fil-A’s footprint in Maine. The company opened its first Maine restaurant in Bangor in 2016 and later added a location at Rock Row in Westbrook. When the Westbrook restaurant opened in 2021, customers lined up for hours and traffic backed up on nearby roads.
Chick-fil-A was founded by S. Truett Cathy, who opened the first restaurant in 1967 in Atlanta. Today, it is based in Hapeville, Ga., in suburban Atlanta.
The company has around 3,000 restaurants in 48 states (Vermont and Alaska are the only states that do not have a location).
