Chick-fil-A opens new Woodside location, replacing Burger King on Northern Blvd. (Via Google Maps)
May 5, 2025 By Czarinna Andres
A new Chick-fil-A restaurant is set to open Thursday, May 8, at the northeast corner of Northern Boulevard and 68th Street in Woodside.
The space, previously occupied by Burger King, will bring approximately 70 new jobs and a $25,000 donation to fight food insecurity across Queens.
Located at 32-67 68th St., the 5,000-square-foot restaurant is at a high-traffic intersection just off the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. It is a few blocks from Travers Park, P.S. 398Q and P.S. 152Q.
The Woodside location will be open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., offering dine-in, takeout, curbside pickup and catering service. The restaurant will be closed on Sundays, consistent with Chick-fil-A’s national policy.
The new franchise marks the second Queens location for Owner-Operator Aman Mekonen, who opened Chick-fil-A Jackson Heights in 2021 on 82nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue.
“As we open Chick-fil-A Northern Blvd., I’m looking forward to continuing my work with a company that genuinely cares for both its Guests and Team Members and seeks to create a positive and lasting impact,” Mekonen said.
Mekonen, a U.S. Army veteran and former real estate and finance professional, was born in Tigray, Ethiopia and raised in the United States. He said his parents, who owned a small business, inspired him to pursue entrepreneurship.
“It was always a dream of mine to follow in their footsteps and own my own business,” he said. “Today, it feels surreal to say I’m fortunate enough to own not just one, but two Chick-fil-A restaurants in the community that I call home.”
Mekonen and his family have lived in Queens for nearly five years. He said he hopes to use the new restaurant not only to serve the local community, but to support young workers by offering mentorship and professional development.
In celebration of the opening, Chick-fil-A, Inc. is donating $25,000 to Feeding America to support hunger relief programs in the greater Queens area. The restaurant will also participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table® program, which redistributes surplus food to local nonprofits. Since its inception in 2012, the program has helped create more than 35 million meals nationwide.
Chick-fil-A, founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy, is now the third-largest quick-service restaurant chain in the U.S., with more than 3,000 locations across North America and recent international expansion into the United Kingdom and Singapore. The company is known for its signature original chicken sandwich and Waffle Potato Fries.
