Chick-fil-A has arrived in Hemet — temporarily for now.
A pop-up tent serving the popular chicken opened Friday, Dec. 13, in a vacant lot as part of a city effort to attract new businesses. If the test goes well, Hemet could be on its way to making a pitch for a permanent Chick-fil-A, officials said.
“Hemet is not right off of a freeway, so having a Chick-fil-A would be a really big deal for us,” city Economic Development Manager Ben Sandoval said.
Though it will operate only on Fridays into January, has a limited menu and has completed one meal session, it appears Hemet is hungry for Chick-fil-A.
On Friday afternoon, a long line of customers waiting to order could be spotted 30 minutes after the tent opened. Several commenters on the city’s Instagram post favored making the fast-food eatery a permanent option in town.
One person proclaimed: “We need a @chickfila in hemet!”
The pop-up sold 150 sandwiches in just over 30 minutes. Told it would be another 25 to 30 minutes until more chicken would be ready, customers stretching off into the distance continued to wait.
By the end of Friday, the pop-up exceeded its goal by selling more than 350 sandwiches, “which was an incredible deal,” said John Flick, of the Menifee Chick-fil-A that provided the food.
The concept is part of the city’s economic strategy to launch temporary businesses in an effort to attract new permanent ones, a Hemet city report states. The Chick-fil-A tent is the city’s first such effort.
The large red tent debuted at 100 Motor Way, near Auto Mall Drive, not far from car dealerships and auto service shops.
It will be open on Fridays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. until Friday, Jan. 10, selling spicy and original chicken sandwiches, waffle chips, cookies and bottles of water.
The owner of the Menifee Chick-fil-A is behind the pop-up and plans to evaluate how many sandwiches the tent sells while it’s open. The city will then decide whether to submit a proposal to Chick-fil-A Inc. to open an actual store in Hemet, Sandoval said.
To reach its target, the temporary site needs to sell 300 chicken sandwiches each Friday, Sandoval said.
During a Tuesday, Dec. 10, meeting, Hemet City Councilmembers voted 5-0 to license and assist the temporary store. Members also discussed the need for more food options in that area of the city.
“I go over to Auto Mall to service my car, and I often think there’s no place to eat here, it would be nice if there was a good eating place in the Auto Mall,” Mayor Jackie Peterson said.
The pop-up’s genesis can be traced to a community event in Hemet last month.
The Chick-fil-A in Menifee near Haun Road and New Hub Drive took part in an event at which homeless people were fed sandwiches, Flick said.
While there, the Menifee franchisee received requests from residents and the mayor to set up and sell Chick-fil-A in Hemet, which led to the idea, Flick said.
Flick, 33, the Menifee franchise’s general manager, has been working with Chick-fil-A since his teenage years. He has has done previous pop-ups outside California at events and fundraisers, but the Hemet location is his and the franchise owner’s first pop-up in the state.
“The city’s open to really bring in any business,” Hemet spokesperson Alan Reyes said. “Chick-fil-A has been highly requested from our community.”
The city first considered a site for the pop-up near a neighborhood Walmart on Florida Avenue, but the Auto Mall Drive location was chosen because it had potential to draw higher traffic, Reyes said.
Concerns also were raised about homeless people congregating at the Florida Avenue site, which council members discussed before agreeing on the Auto Mall location.
The city will use additional security measures, such as police patrols and security cameras while the pop-up is operating, Sandoval said.
City workers also will add tables, chairs, portable restrooms as well as more lighting and signs for Friday, Dec. 20, to elevate the experience for visitors, Sandoval said.
“I think it’s really incredible that the city of Hemet wants to bring in a Chick-fil-A,” Flick said.
For updates on the temporary location, click here.
Staff photographer Terry Pierson contributed to this report.
