Chick-fil-A will close its Utah Tech University campus location at the end of the semester, according to an email recently sent to faculty and staff.
The email stated: “This closure reflects a mutual, thoughtful decision between the university and Chick-fil-A and represents a business decision aligned with both organizations’ long-term needs and strategies.”
Zach Gates, director of dining services, said the university and Chick-fil-A have been discussing the location’s future for nearly two years.
“We [Chick-fil-A] were coming up on our seven-year mark of being here, and about every seven years, you’ve got to remodel,” he said. “And this remodel they were wanting us to do would have been taking up over half of the cafe.”
Financial considerations ultimately led to the decision to close the location. Chick-fil-A expected the campus restaurant to generate about $1 million annually, but the location was not meeting that goal, Gates said. Renovating the space would also have been costly for the university, potentially exceeding $1 million.
“We thought about moving it over to Conference Room D,” Gates said. “Opening that up, creating its own restaurant. However, Chick-fil-A didn’t like that option.”
Because of those challenges, Gates said both sides agreed that closing was the best option for now. However, he said Chick-fil-A could potentially return in the future once the university’s new dining hall is built in the Student Union Building.
Other factors also played a role in the decision, including the presence of other Chick-fil-A locations in St. George — such as the restaurant located on 15 S. River Rd. — and the limited menu offered at the campus location.
The restaurant first opened on campus after the university surveyed students about dining options they wanted. At the time, Gates said, students asked for Chick-fil-A and a pizza option. The university eventually brought Chick-fil-A to campus.
Gates said: “Students came back and said they would love to see a Chick–fil-A on campus. So it kind of turned to that direction of what they wanted. And luckily, we were able to get Chick-fil-A because they don’t just go to any university.”
Gates said Deven Macdonald, who serves on the university’s board of trustees and owns the Chick-fil-A locations at Red Rock Commons and Bluff Street/Blackridge Drive, helped bring the franchise to campus.
Students and employees expressed mixed reactions to the news of the closure.
“I don’t eat Chick-fil-A on campus often, sadly. Now that I know it’s leaving, I’m sad and wish I would’ve eaten there more often,” said Alizay Sanchez, a sophomore digital media major from Las Vegas.
She said that she would like to see new dining options such as Cafe Zupas, Panera Bread or Kneaders Bakery & Cafe added in the future.
Mason Johnson, a sophomore general studies major from Eureka, Nevada, who works at the campus Chick-fil-A, said the experience had its ups and downs.
“It was fun [working here] for the time being, it however wasn’t easy,” he said. Johnson said it was busy for long periods of time during a shift.
Connor Lewis, a senior accounting major from Salt Lake City who also worked at the on-campus location, said he enjoyed the job but also sometimes felt overwhelmed during busy rush periods.
Looking ahead, Gates said a new burger restaurant will replace Chick-fil-A in the space and will share the area with Krispy Krunchy Chicken.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken will also provide a scholarship for one of the university’s dining employees in the future.
“I think it’s going to be a really good partner,” Gates said. “They want to be on campus, and they’re excited to be on campus.”
More information about the new dining options will be announced through TrailTracker.
