ELSMERE, Ky. — We are getting a first look at the new $100 million distribution center Chick-fil-A Supply is building in Elsmere.
The company is a branch within Chick-fil-A and is responsible for supporting the restaurant chain’s distribution network.
"We started Chick-fil-A Supply and we opened our first distribution center in 2019, and that was in a direct response to meet our restaurants, owner-operators needs," said Dan Marques, senior director of distribution operations for Chick-fil-A Supply. "(The company) is able to do a lot of things that the industry just doesn't have the luxury of doing."
The new center will be located in Kenton County on over 28 acres and will span more than 270,000 square feet. It will support deliveries for about 150 Chick-fil-A restaurants across the region.
“Elsmere not only provides access to quality talent, but its unique location will also allow us to receive product by rail,” said Josh Grote, executive director of Chick-fil-A Supply. “We’re grateful to the Elsmere community and Commonwealth of Kentucky for the warm welcome and look forward to serving Chick-fil-A restaurants in the area.”
In addition to its investment in Elsmere, Chick-fil-A Supply will make a $25,000 donation to a local Feeding America food bank to support hunger relief efforts in the community once the distribution center opens its doors.
"It is an investment in the future of our restaurant growth in Cincinnati and surrounding markets," Marques said. "In Elsmere, we have felt really welcomed thus far, and really look forward to growing those relationships."
Marques said the site, located off Garvey Avenue, was attractive to the company due to its proximity to the railroad tracks, which sit right behind the distribution center.
"We wanted this distribution center to be located with access to a rail because, in addition to being a distribution center, we'll actually receive, via train load, a lot of our waffle fries, which come out of the Pacific Northwest and (the) Dakotas," he said.
Chick-fil-A Supply plans to employ more than 130 people in the first year. Roles include a general manager and various leadership positions, drivers, navigators, warehouse team members and maintenance technicians.
By year five, the center plans to employ 178 total workers.
"It speaks to getting development underway, getting good ready sites available, so that when clients want to invest in our community, bring investment in jobs, they've got options to pick from," said Lee Crume, BE NKY CEO. "This site that you're looking at has been under development for close to four years now."
Chick-fil-A Supply will join e-commerce company fun.com and hand sanitizer manufacturer Diversey on the site. Niagara Bottling is also set to move into the complex by 2026.
The Elsmere distribution center, as of now, will mark Chick-fil-A Supply's 12th distribution center in the country and first in Kentucky.
"(It) speaks to the strength of the food and flavoring industry we have in Northern Kentucky," Crume said.
Construction on the site has already begun, and the facility is expected to be fully operational by 2026.
