Chick-fil-A is planning to open 25-30 new restaurants throughout Ohio by the end of 2027, according to a 2025 company announcement. The restaurant currently has its sights set on Englewood. FILE
Nick Graham – Staff
Chick-fil-A is seeking several zoning variances for a proposed restaurant at the former Frisch’s location at 1095 S. Main St. in Englewood.
The Englewood Planning Commission will review the case at its Sept. 2 meeting.
The proposal would replace the existing restaurant with a roughly 4,800-square-foot Chick-fil-A featuring a drive-thru, outdoor seating and 66 parking spaces.
The proposal follows the company’s 2025 announcement to open 25-30 new restaurants throughout Ohio by the end of 2027.
The proposed Englewood restaurant would have 88 indoor seats and 20 outdoor seats, according to submitted plans.
Chick-fil-A is seeking five variances involving parking and setbacks as it works to fit the proposed restaurant and drive-thru onto the existing property, according to a variance application submitted by Woolpert engineer David Teyber on behalf of Chick-fil-A.
The company wants to reduce the city’s required parking dimensions and overall parking requirement. The applicant said the site’s narrow shape limits the amount of parking that can be provided and that neighboring properties are already developed.
The application also cites environmental constraints involving a wooded area and stream west of the property.
Three additional variances involve setbacks. Chick-fil-A is seeking to reduce required front- and side-yard buffers and to place a drive-thru canopy closer to the property line than normally allowed.
The company said the reduced setbacks are needed to preserve parking and accommodate a dual-lane drive-thru. Moving the canopy farther from the property line would eliminate one of the drive-thru lanes, according to the application.
The property is currently zoned C-2 Highway Commercial.
The former Frisch’s restaurant on the site closed in late 2024.
Dining and Cooking