The Georgia Mall That Was Home To The First Chick-Fil-A (And Why The Restaurant Closed)

Chick-fil-A has come a long way from its Southern roots. Today, the chain is well known for its delicious chicken sandwiches and wide variety of dipping sauces. However, at the very beginning, Chick-fil-A was a singular store in a Georgia mall. The first Chick-fil-A was opened in 1967 in the Atlanta Greenbriar Shopping Center. It was here that the chain grew into the giant it is today, putting its unique pressure fry cooking method that ultimately makes its sandwiches so delicious to great use. For years, customers enjoyed making the pilgrimage to the original Chick-fil-A location, which remained in operation for 56 years.

Sadly, the original Chick-fil-A location is now closed. Its closure was announced in May 2023. No announcement or statement was released by Chick-fil-A regarding the closure. Many have chalked it up to the mall as a whole struggling to stay in business rather than an issue with the Chick-fil-A location itself.

The original Chick-fil-A location wasn't just important to the chain; it was also part of one of the first indoor malls in the southeast of the United States. As such, the first Chick-fil-A ended up being a pioneer for indoor food courts in malls. The boneless, breaded chicken sandwiches were considered new-fangled for the time period and quickly became popular. The chain took off, but the original location remained at the Atlanta Greenbriar Shopping Center. The mall location was noticeably small, only about 384 square feet in size. Still, it remained an iconic part of the chain's history and remained in business for 56 years.

The closure of the original Chick-fil-A came about rather suddenly, with signs showing up at the food court location listing the closure date as May 20, 2023. Although the news of the closure cropped up in news outlets, the reason behind the closure never did. To this day, no exact reason is known. Even though the original location is now closed, Chick-fila-A still operates across the nation, so you can get your chicken sandwich craving fulfilled when you need it.