LYNNWOOD — Chick-fil-A is set to open in Lynnwood on Thursday.
The Southern fast-food chain, known for simple chicken sandwiches on buttered buns, is sure to bring a buzz — and traffic. Recent openings in Bellevue and Tacoma have caused clogged streets and bottle-necked intersections, with problems persisting for weeks.
Each Chick-fil-A opening also is accompanied by a 24-hour campout for the “First 100.” That’s a marketing campaign that gives a year of free meals to the first 100 adult customers who live in certain local zip codes.
Chick-fil-A has agreed to pay for off-duty police officers to direct traffic at the Lynnwood location, city spokeswoman Julie Moore said. Similar arrangements were made in Bellevue and Tacoma.
“They’re really just going to be there to make sure people can get in and out of the parking lot safely and efficiently,” Moore said.
The restaurant at 3026 196th St. SW sits in the same parking lot as Lowe’s, south of the Alderwood mall, and along one of Lynnwood’s most congested thoroughfares. It will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, though Day 1 will start a half-hour earlier.
The restaurant will employ 80 people and have 124 indoor seats plus a patio, according to a news release.
A corporate spokesman declined to discuss sales figures from the Bellevue and Tacoma openings, saying only they’ve “been one for the books.”
Bellevue police have posted officers at the 116th Avenue NE location since the opening, officer Seth Tyler said. That’s the city’s fifth-busiest intersection, according to a story in The Herald’s sister paper, The Bellevue Reporter. The traffic created long backups on I-405. A new plan announced last week requires drivers to circle the block if the parking lot is full. Off-duty police will close the driveway until room for another car opens up.
“It became clear from the outset that there would need to be a sustained police presence at the location due to the overwhelming response combined with the unique location of the restaurant,” Tyler said.
Bellevue officials and Chick-fil-A are working on ways to address problems with parking and littering, according to a city news release.
“Chick-fil-A employees are going out at least twice per day to clean up trash left by customers,” the release said.
In Tacoma, Chick-fil-A hired off-duty police to assist with traffic and for the 24-hour campout, officer Loretta Cool said.
Bellevue officials remain hopeful that the Lynnwood opening will ease some of the pressure.
“This level of traffic is simply not sustainable,” Tyler said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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