US-born chicken QSR chain Chick-fil-A is to open its first drive-thru site in the UK as it pushes ahead with plans to expand to more international locations.
Located at Hamilton’s Palace Grounds Retail Park, near Glasgow, it will take over from the former KFC drive-thru. Site upgrades include a rear extension, a redesigned drive-thru lane with digital menu boards, new plant equipment and an overhaul of the building’s exterior, with new cladding and branding.
There will also be upgraded outdoor seating and improved parking with relocated accessible spaces, and new motorcycle and cycle parking. The restaurant will accommodate 66 to 68 diners inside and will feature a modernised customer service area and kitchen.
It will mark the fifth Chick-fil-A site to launch in the UK, with current restaurants located in Leeds, London, and two in Northern Ireland.
It forms part of the fried chicken chain’s plans to invest more than $100m (£74.3m) in the UK over the next 10 years. It also plans to invest an additional $75m (£55.8m) in new restaurants across Singapore over the next 10 years.
At the launch of the brand’s first UK restaurant in Leeds last year, Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy described the group’s expansion into Europe and Asia as a “meaningful milestone”.
“The investments we’re making in the UK and Singapore not only present opportunities for our business, but are also a chance for us to bring what makes Chick-fil-A special to new places – great food and remarkable hospitality, our unique franchise model and the positive impact we have in communities.”
Chick-fil-A is now the third-largest QSR company in the US, with more than 3,000 restaurants across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Last year, the fast food chain’s US system sales rose 5.2% to $23.9bn (£17.7bn).
It’s not the first US fried chicken brand to enter the UK market recent years. In 2024, LA-born Dave’s Hot Chicken launched a flagship store on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. It now operates 10 locations across the UK.
Raising Cane’s is also set to enter the UK market this year, with a flagship due to open in London’s Picadilly Circus in December, with several other locations to follow.
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