Craving a chicken sandwich? Chick-fil-A opens another Dade eatery
Miami-Dade’s chickensandwich eaters here’s hot news for you: another Chickfil-A eatery is opening, owned by one of the many franchisees expanding in the region. The national fast-food chain’s 10th location in the county makes its debut Thursday at 5870 NW 183rd St., owner operator Tony Sampayo said.
Chick-fil-A typically attracts long drive-through lines. The restaurant’s staples are chicken sandwiches with pickles, chicken wraps, waffle fries, lemonade, iced tea, salads and milkshakes.
The new Chick-fil-A joins sister locations in Kendall, Hialeah, North Miami, Doral, Aventura, Allapattah, Miami Lakes and the Fontainebleau section of Dade. Just like them, the new eatery will be open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and closed on Sunday.
The fast-food chicken purveyor opens in a growing residential area. Nearby Miami Gardens has 110,867 residents and a median household income of $51,067, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. Known for its Sunshine State Arch off the Palmetto Expressway, it’s home to Hard Rock Stadium, where the Miami Dolphins play. Certain slices of the city have among the cheapest home rents and sale prices in Dade. It’s also near Opalocka, Miami Lakes, Miramar and North Miami Beach.
“We have enough demand to sustain the new location,” Sampayo said of the spot, which is about two miles north of the Miami Lakes one.
Sampayo hired a team of 100 people to operate his Chick-fil-A. In addition to having room for 149 diners and staff, the new eatery has a two-lane drive through.
Born in Miami and raised in Colombia, Sampayo rose from working behind the counter as one of the chain’s fry cooks in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2001, to now owning two Chick-fil-A franchise locations in South Florida. In addition to the new site, he opened the Miami Lakes spot in 2010. Although aspiring Chick-fil-A owners now have to invest $10,000, Sampayo invested $5,000 in 2019 to open his second location given his longstanding relationship with the company.
In 2022, the Miami Lakes location drew about 2,500 customers a day, a 5% uptick from 2021, and a 90% jump from when the location first opened. He expects similar activity for the new venue because many of his Miami Lakes customers traveled from nearby Miami Gardens and elsewhere.
Chick-fil-A joins several food franchises expanding throughout South Florida. They include Crumbl cookies and Raising Cane’s chicken tenders. Florida Atlantic University business professor Steven Carnovale said food retailers are betting on the region’s population growth.
“These things follow population growth. Florida and South Florida have experienced tremendous population growth,” Carnovale said. “They are looking for where the economic climate is conducive to sales.”