Chick-fil-A Is Opening Its First Location In Hawaii

Chick-fil-A is a ubiquitous fast-food option for most Americans. But the third-highest earning fast-food chain in America is actually much smaller than most of its competitors—with only 2,600 restaurants, it is a David among Goliaths like McDonald's, Starbucks, and Subway.

While the greatest number of the chain's restaurants are located in Texas (more than 450 units), there are also a handful of states that still don't have a single Chick-fil-A. Currently, residents of Alaska, Hawaii, and Vermont are the only ones that can't enjoy the popular fried chicken on their home turf. But that's going to change for the Aloha State as soon as this week!

According to SFGate, the chicken chain is opening its first Hawaii location on September 1. The restaurant will be located in Kahului on the island of Maui, and will feature 5,000-square-foot interiors complete with a drive-thru.

This is the first of four locations the chain announced it would be adding in Hawaii in 2022 and early 2023. An additional three restaurants will open on the most populous island of Oahu—two in the state capital Honolulu and one in Kapolei.

Plans for Chick-fil-A's expansion into Hawaii were first introduced back in 2018, according to the Star Advertiser. "We are honored to join the Aloha State and look forward to serving new and existing fans delicious food with remarkable hospitality," the company said at the time.

And while Hawaiians and their millions of annual visitors will now be able to enjoy fried chicken in a whole new way, it looks like the other holdout states won't be joining in on the hype any time soon. There are currently no plans for Chick-fil-A to expand to Alaska or Vermont. In fact, many residents of Vermont are very much opposed to the company moving into their state. (Its sparse population is another reason why the chain has never made the move.)

In Hawaii, Chick-fil-A will face an abundance of competition: the island state has the highest per capita concentration of fast-food locations in the country. Still, who can resist that OG chicken sandwich.