Chick-fil-A & Chipotle coming to Ocean Springs. Here’s when the restaurants plan to open
Chipotle Mexican Grill and Chick-fil-A are coming to Ocean Springs, Alderman Mike Impey confirmed Wednesday morning.
The restaurants will be located on Highway 90 at the site of the old Twin Pines motel, just east of Ocean Springs Hospital, Impey posted on facebook.
But their opening dates may be a long way off. Chipotle is planning to open in a year, and Chick-fil-A is estimated to open in 16 months, Impey said Thursday.
Still, he said the plans are big news for Ocean Springs.
“It’s what the people want,” Impey said. “It’s great for the city.”
“It’s a huge win,” said Alderman Robert Blackman, whose ward is the site of the planned development. “We’ve been trying to attract a Chick-fil-A for years.”
A spokesperson for Chipotle did not confirm the new location but said the chain is “exploring opportunities to bring our real food to the Ocean Springs community.” A Chick-fil-A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message Wednesday morning.
Impey said the city knew about the possibility of the restaurants for “quite some time” but could not announce it publicly until the deals were final.
The Ocean Springs planning department told the aldermen before Tuesday night’s meeting that they could release the information, Impey said on facebook.
Impey said the city is not yet sure when the restaurants will start hiring or exactly how many jobs they will bring. But he said the chains want to “move forward quickly.”
Each new Chick-fil-A location creates 80 to 120 jobs in a community, according to the chain’s website. The Ocean Springs location will be the fifth Chick-fil-A on the Coast. It follows other locations in D’Iberville, Biloxi, Gulfport and Pascagoula.
The new Chipotle would be the second location on the Coast. The chain also has a location in D’Iberville.
Impey said the city has always tried to attract new businesses, but it is ultimately up to the chains where they choose to franchise. And over and over, he has heard that residents wanted the restaurants to come.
“Every time someone talked about bringing something to the city,” he said, “it was always about Chick-fil-A.”
This is a developing story and may be updated.
