New restaurant will bring 65 jobs to Lakewood
Officials break ground for the new Chick-fil-A restraurant in south Lakewood.
LAKEWOOD – City and company officials this week broke ground for a new Chick-fil-A restaurant, one that will bring an expected 65 jobs to south Lakewood and one that will replace a trademark but vacant Black Eye Pea restaurant building.
“I’m excited to get to work with this community,” said John Barker, who will operate the new 4,222 square-foot restaurant, which is expected to open in October at 5260 S. Wadsworth Boulevard. The restaurant also will have a play area for children and will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.
Barker said many of the workers he will hire will be young people.
“Chick-fil-A has one of the most aggressive (corporate) programs of college scholarships” for its associates in the nation, Barker said. Barker expects to start taking employment applications about two months before the opening.
When the restaurant opens, the first 100 adult patrons will receive 52 coupons for free meals and a company spokeswoman said she expects folks will be camped out in the parking lot the night before the opening.
The restaurant will be the chain’s 15th in the metro-area market and is one of 68 the chain plans to open across the U.S. this year.
