Local Chick-fil-A franchise owners to open second location

Next year, Jon and Rachel Dawkins will make it more convenient for people living and working near I-20, Exit 5 to Eat Mor Chikin.

The couple has owned and operated the North Augusta Chick-fil-A location at 1267 Knox Ave. for almost 20 years, but they recently announced their plans to open a second location next to Wendy’s at the corner of Edgefield Road and Walnut Lane.

“We’ve been working towards that for a long time,” Jon said. “It’s something we wanted to do to serve our community.”

He said it’s too soon to predict exactly when the new location will open.

“We want it to be as early in 2024 as possible,” Jon said.

For years, customers have asked the couple when they planned to open a second location near Exit 5. He said it’s time to expand because their restaurant has become so busy.

The couple currently has 130 employees, but that number will double when they open the second restaurant. Jon said hiring and retaining employees was particularly difficult during and after the pandemic, but that situation has improved significantly in recent months.

“We’ve been fully staffed for the last six months,” he said.

Jon recently calculated the number of employees they’ve had in their time as Chick-fil-A owners/operators.

“More than 1,000 people have worked for me over the last 20 years,” he said. “I love the impact that I’m able to have on people.”

Jon also loves being a part of the North Augusta community. At Chick-fil-A, franchise owners live in the communities where they do business.

“We’re on-site quite a bit,” he said.

While the couple will have two restaurants, they plan to maintain the same quality standards at both locations.

“We’re not going to accept anything less than the standards we’ve set,” Jon said.

He looks forward to opening the new location.

“We’re excited to serve the community in that area,” Jon said. “It will be more convenient for people living off Exit 5 and in Edgefield County.”

The restaurant will be open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit chick-fil-a.com/locations/sc/north-augusta or the location’s Facebook page.