It has been recently announced that a new Chick-fil-A will be built in Springdale. The city’s first of these restaurants will be located at the intersection of  West Sunset Avenue and Gene George Boulevard. AP Human Geography teacher, Joyce Fine, jokes that she can see students leaving school to get Chick-fil-A after the new location is built.

“I was kidding with the kids that I can see kids skipping, going in there, and getting their chicken nuggets to take them back to school,” Fine said. “I mean I can, I can see that next year.” 

However, Fine believes that the new restaurant will be more convenient for her, rather than the other locations. 

“Since I work here at Har-Ber, it’s so close,” Fine said, “I live out here in Elm springs, so normally when I do go to Chick-fil-A I have to go out to Rogers or I go down to the mall, so obviously it’s a lot closer for me, a lot more convenient”

According to Fine, she will be visiting the new Chick-fil-A at least once a week. 

“That’s what I do now,”Fine said, “At least once a week I have a salad from there for dinner, so for sure I’ll keep that up.” 

Fine goes to Chick-fil-A so often because it is the only fast food restaurant she goes to. 

“I love when you go through Chick-fil-A how fast they are, I think they’ve got it down,” Fine said. “I kiddingly say if they were running the government it would probably be more efficient.”

Sophomore Sarah Gill is also a big fan of the restaurant. 

“I love their service, their chicken, their ice cream, their fries, and all of their sauces,” Gill said. 

Gill also is looking forward to the new location, as it will be more practical for her. She is most excited that it’s so close to where she lives and goes to school, so she’ll be able to go more often. 

“It’ll be more convenient for me because I live closer to Springdale than I do the Fayetteville or Johnson area,” Gill said, “So it will be better for me to get my Chick-fil-A faster.”

According to Gill, it was disappointing to wait so long for Springdale to receive a Chick-fil-A, so she is glad it is finally happening. Fine is incorporating the new Chick-fil-A plans into her AP Human Geography lessons. 

“We’ve been talking in class about central place theory and about how larger cities have more services, more restaurants, and even how a census might determine where a business might be located, so it’s fit in rather nicely,” Fine said. “Even city planning and how the city government has to approve a new restaurant or a new business to locate within their city limits, and the regulations that go with that.” 

Fine credits the late arrival of building a Chick-fil-A in Springdale to the population of the city. According to Fine, Chick-fil-A is very particular about the number of cars and curb appeal when deciding where to locate their restaurants. 

“They are really tough with those kind of regulations to get a franchise, so I would think they’re putting it by the Children’s Hospital and on 412,” Fine said. “I mean when you leave Har-Ber at the end of the day, this is a busy highway at all times.”

Fine believes that Chick-fil-A was waiting for Gene George Boulevard to expand, and the hospital to be built before building their restaurant. 

“I just think they just had to wait until some other things were built,” Fine said, “make it a little bit more attractive for it to be profitable there.”