BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – As September came to a close, there was one burning question in the minds of Raleigh County Residents: When is Chick-fil-A at Beckley Galleria going to reopen?
Chick-fil-A of Beckley’s Galleria location has been closed for renovations since July 1st, 2022. Originally renovations were expected to be complete by early to mid-September. While the location was closed, franchise owner Richard Jarrell moved employees to his two other locations on Harper Road and inside Crossroads Mall. The community was disappointed to see the Galleria store close through the summer, but Mr. Jarrell went above and beyond to meet the community’s demand. From July to September, Chick-fil-A offered mobile pop-ups and a food truck all around the greater Raleigh County area. They also operated a mobile drive-through at the Crossroads Mall location to help fill the hole left by the closing of the Galleria location.
As Autumn quickly approached, it was obvious to passersby that the renovations were not progressing as quickly as they needed to meet the original projected reopening. On September 15th, Mr. Jarrell announced in a video posted to Chick-fil-A Galleria’s Facebook page that, indeed, the project had encountered delays and would not open on schedule. In that video, Jarrell cited an unusually rainy season as well as supply chain issues as the reasons for the delay. He projected a new re-opening in early October.
As the new re-opening date approached, it became clear that those estimates may have been generous. The renovations are still incomplete. Richard Jarrell once again addressed Facebook about the reopening on October 9th. Citing continued weather delays, which prevented paving from being completed and more supply chain shortages, Jarrell set a new estimated re-opening for the first part of November.
In preparation for the reopening, Chick-fil-A of Beckley has begun a new hiring event to restaff all three of their locations. After seeking feedback from current employees, Mr. Jarrell has decided to offer some additional benefits to his full-time employees. All full-time employees of Chick-fil-A of Beckley’s three locations will be eligible for 10 days of PTO as of the first day of 2023. This is in addition to the other benefits already offered by the company, including Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits; 401K; tuition assistance; scholarship eligibility and food discounts. Chick-fil-A also offers some of the most competitive wages in town, with some non-management wages as high as $14 an hour.
Mr. Jarrell also mentioned during his September 15th video that staffing has been an issue at his stores while the Galleria store has been closed. In anticipation of possible staffing challenges, Chick-fil-A of Beckley is also offering new employees that apply by October 16th a retention bonus of $300 for full-time and $100 for part-time workers. These types of benefits are atypical of the quick service restaurant industry, which is usually limited to discounts or the occasional free meal.
With luck, Mr. Jarrell will be fully staffed, and renovations will be complete by the new re-opening date of early November. Certainly, Beckley and Raleigh County residents will be overjoyed to begin lining up to get all their Chick-fil-A favorites before the holiday season is in full swing.