SAN JOSE — Chick-fil-A has served up fresh details for a restaurant that the fast-food chain is planning on a San Jose site near the city’s downtown, an establishment that could seat more than 100 guests.
The restaurant company is eyeing a new fast-food spot at the corner of West San Carlos Street and Race Street west of downtown San Jose, city planning files show.
1301 West San Carlos Street at the corner of Race Street in San Jose, shown within the outline. Boundaries are approximate. (Google Maps)
The proposed Chick-fil-A could sprout on a site with addresses that include 1301 West San Carlos Street, 261 Race Street and 263 Race Street, San Jose planning and Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office records show.
Many of the values that Chick-fil-A espouses are influenced by the Christian views of the company’s late founder S. Truett Cathy. Chick-fil-A has drawn fire for its opposition to same-sex marriages.
A fenced-off parcel at 1301 West San Carlos Street next to Race Street in San Jose. (Google Maps)
Despite the controversies, Chick-fil-A in 2023 was ranked as the nation’s favorite fast-food chain in the annual American Consumer Satisfaction Index, a rating derived from 11 benchmarks.
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The new Chick-fil-A restaurant near downtown San Jose would force vehicles to enter from Race Street and depart onto Race. No vehicle entry or exit would be allowed from or to San Carlos Street. The plans also referred to a drive-through lane.
The proposal requires the demolition of some commercial buildings on the 0.8-acre site.
Chick-fil-A appears to be in expansion mode in the Bay Area, including in San Jose.
The fast-food restaurant company has a location at San Jose International Airport.
Separately, in October 2023, Chick-fil-A paid $4.5 million for a parcel near the corner of Silver Creek Road and East Capitol Expressway. That site is next to a Target store.
In 2019, a mixed-use housing development with 230 units was proposed for the 1301 West Santa Clara site. That project never broke ground.
As for the Chick-fil-A proposal on the West San Carlos property, the potential development timeline isn’t known. The fast-food restaurant project is wending its way through the city review process.
A trust whose trustee is Rosemary Zotta owns the three parcels that make up the project property, county real estate records show. The combined assessed value of the parcels was $1.3 million as of early 2023.
The property previously was the location of a Burger King restaurant and drive-through site. The Burger King closed several years ago and the building has since been torn down.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Chick-fil-A would purchase the restaurant site or lease the building.