Chick-fil-A to create 165 jobs by opening distribution center in Lexington County

Chick-fil-A is setting up a new distribution center in Lexington County, and the operation will create 165 jobs, according to Gov. Henry McMaster’s Office.

Chick-fil-A Supply, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chick-fil-A, announced it’s investing $80 million to establish the distribution center, the governor’s office said Monday in a news release.

“We are excited that Chick-fil-A Supply chose to locate its newest distribution center in Lexington County,” McMaster said in the release. “The Midlands region — with its central location and infrastructure access — is an ideal location for a distribution operation of this magnitude.”

Located at on 12th Street Extension at the Saxe Gotha Industrial Park in West Columbia, Chick-fil-A Supply’s Lexington County facility will help ensure restaurants have the supplies to accommodate customers, according to the release. It will also address distribution complexities such as frequent, high-volume delivery, varied delivery environments and rapidly evolving needs, the Governor’s Office said.

Founded in 2020, Chick-fil-A Supply supplements Chick-fil-A’s distribution network and allows the company to maintain greater flexibility within its supply chain and meet the needs of Chick-fil-A restaurants, according to the release.

The Lexington County facility is expected to be up and running in 2024, the Governor’s Office said.

“Our new distribution center in Lexington County provides us with a tremendous opportunity to grow our business and create jobs that will attract diverse talent from across the region,” Chick-fil-A Supply Executive Director Josh Grote said in the release. “We’re excited to expand our footprint in South Carolina with an investment in the local community that helps us serve our franchise operators, licensees and their teams.”

Anyone interested in applying for a job with the Chick-fil-A Supply team should go to the company’s careers page.

The jobs created in the area will benefit Lexington County, S.C. Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey said. The move was also praised by S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers and Lexington County Council Chairman Scott Whetstone.

Chick-fil-A’s new facility in Saxe Gotha Industrial Park will join Nephron Pharmaceuticals and the Amazon Fulfillment Center in the area south of Cayce that’s near both Interstate 26 and Interstate 77.

“A brand beloved by many locals, Chick-fil-A Supply’s announcement of a distribution center will give people a new reason to enjoy it even more — career opportunities,” Central SC Alliance Chairman Matthew Shaffer said in the release.

The State previously reported that Chick-fil-A Supply would pay $3.5 million to Lexington County for 68 acres of developable land plus 32 acres of undevelopable land.

The company will pay Lexington County a set fee for a period of 30 years for an exemption from local property taxes, The State reported. The company must also meet its investment and job requirements within the investment time frame in order to receive the tax benefits.

Lexington County Council approved the deal.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development also approved job development credits related to the project.

Chick-fil-A Supply operates two other major supply distribution centers in the Southeast, serving locations of the popular restaurant chain across the region. One is in Cartersville, Georgia, that employs more than 220 people at a 216,000-square-foot facility. Its fleet of 55 trucks serves 225 regional restaurants, traveling more than 330,000 miles in a month, according to the company website.

A second center just opened this year in Mebane, North Carolina, employing more than 160 people at a 170,000-square-foot facility. Its fleet of more than 30 trucks serves 150 regional restaurants, the company website says.