Chick-fil-A to Convert Portland Strip Club into New Restaurant
- Michael Foust CrosswalkHeadlines Contributor
- Updated Apr 25, 2024
Chick-fil-A is returning to Portland, Ore., and it’s taking over the site of a strip club to do it. The first Chick-fil-A within the Portland city limits since one closed in 2003 will begin construction in the near future at the current location of The Venue Gentleman’s Club and already has received approval from the city, The Oregonian reported. In early April, a deadly shooting took place on the same block as the strip club. Two weeks later, law enforcement arrested an individual in connection to the shooting. Although Chick-fil-A has approximately eight locations in the Portland area, it will be the first Chick-fil-A within the city limits in two decades. The new Chick-fil-A will reside at 9950 SE Stark Street.
“Crews will rework the façade and roof to incorporate a new entry vestibule,” the Montavilla News reported. “Sidewalk improvements around the site will join the parking lot and ramp additions to increase accessible entry to the restaurant. Workers will restructure the interior with all new restrooms, a play area, a sit-down dining room, and kitchen space to meet the Chick-fil-A standards.”
However, it apparently will not have a drive-through. Chick-fil-A generated $21.58 billion in sales in 2023, a record for the company. Its unique faith-centric focus is part of its appeal to many customers. Its restaurants are closed on Sundays, a practice that began in 1946 when its founder, Truett Cathy, closed his first restaurant in Hapeville, Ga., on Sundays. Its official corporate purpose is to “glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us” and “to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A,” its website says.
Cathy, who died in 2014, was a Christian. His family still runs the business. Last summer, Chick-fil-A ranked No. 1 as America’s favorite restaurant in the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index for the ninth straight year. The index surveys the attitudes of Americans on major restaurants.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Brandon Bell / Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
