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Famous for its signature chicken, waffle fries and natural lemonade, American fast-food chain Chick-fil-A opened its first in a new bout of British locations in Belfast in January 2025. Now, the chain is testing waters in the Big Smoke with a first restaurant in London.
The new Chick-fil-A branch will open in London’s far southwest: Kingston-upon-Thames.
Located at 90 Eden Street – in what was formerly an HSBC bank – Chick-fil-A's Kingston outpost will be its fourth UK opening. The official opening date hasn’t yet been confirmed, though it’s tipped for early March.
Kingstonians can expect all Chick-fil-A’s classic menu items at the new location, like the chicken sandwich, grilled nuggets, iced tea and dipping sauces. The chain is famous for its queues, too, which are known to trail well out the door at peak times.
Chick-fil-A is currently in the midst of its second attempt to break into the UK chicken market. Back in 2019 the chain opened locations in Reading and Aviemore, Scotland, but they were met with backlash and a campaign by LGBTQ+ activists.
The company’s charity arm has a controversial history of donating to organisations that activists judged to be hostile to LGBTQ+ rights, while the then-CEO made public statements opposing same-sex marriage. Both the Reading and Aviemore locations’ six-month leases were not extended. You can find out all about the controversy here.
However, it’s worth noting that Chick-fil-A has since stated that it stopped funding anti-LGBTQ+ causes, and has replaced those charities with ones that focus on homelessness and education.
Chick-fil-A has already opened two locations in Belfast, and one in Leeds, with a Liverpool outpost scheduled for later this year.
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