Beloved US fast-food chain with 2,800 branches to open restaurants in the UK after disappearing off high street

A BELOVED US fast-food chain is set to open restaurants in the UK after disappearing off the high street, The Sun can reveal.

Fried chicken restaurant chain Chick-fil-A has confirmed it has plans to open new branches across the country.

The retailer is set to open its first store in early 2025 and then up to five in the following two years.

While the exact menu hasn't yet been confirmed by Chick-fil-A, it has said it will be bringing popular items from across the pond.

These include the original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, freshly made salads, and nuggets that are hand-breaded throughout the day.

Chick-fil-A opened its first store in Atlanta, America in 1967.

It now has 2,800 restaurants across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Anita Costello, regional director at Chick-fil-A said: "We are excited our restaurants will bring new jobs and opportunities throughout the UK.

"Serving communities is at the heart of everything we do at Chick-fil-A, and our unique operator model provides one of a kind access to entrepreneurial opportunities."

She added: "We look forward to sharing our authentic Chick-fil-A experience: providing fresh food prepared with high-quality ingredients, served with our signature hospitality."

The move comes after Chick-fil-A opened its first ever UK store in Reading, England in 2019.

However, the town centre restaurant shut after its six-month lease expired in 2020.

It came after controversy around comments by the company's then chief executive Dan Cathy, opposing same-sex marriage.

Chick-fil-A isn't the only restaurant hoping to open up shops across the UK.

Patisserie Valerie, which once had almost 200 stores across the UK employing around 3,000 staff, is set to reopen two restaurants by October.

And the chain plans to reopen more cafes over the next few months as part of a reinvestment into its estate, the Sun understood, although exact locations and dates are yet to be confirmed.

It is also actively looking for opportunities to open brand new sites.

Huge discount retailer Costco is planning to open 14 new warehouses around the UK in the next two years, as revealed by the Sun, while The White Company is set to open five new branches by November.

Bakery chain Greggs is also expanding with plans to open a net total of 150 branches in 2023 - and it confirmed eight upcoming stores to the Sun last month.

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