The South Side of Chicago gets its first Chick-fil-A
REjournals.com: Dan Rafter April 23, 2025
The first Chick-fil-A on the South Side of Chicago opened April 17 in the city’s Pullman/Roseland community. And in good news for this previously underserved community? The new restaurant will not be the latest addition to the area.
The new South Side of Chicago Chick-fil-A is the anchor tenant for the 8-acre Pullman Gateway commercial center at 11131 S. Corliss Ave. in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood. But it’s only the first retailer to open in the development, with Chipotle, Jimmy John’s and Dunkin’ soon to follow.
Pullman Gateway marks a significant milestone in the commercial development of the Pullman neighborhood. It sits on what was formerly an unused parking lot and abandoned off-track betting facility. In addition to its retail components, Pullman Gateway is home to the CTA Red Line’s extension offices.
Non-profit community development organization Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives is the developer of Pullman Gateway. CNI’s development partner in this project has been the Hope Center Foundation led by Rev. James Meeks.
David Doig, president of CNI, said that the new Chick-fil-A is just the latest boost to this historic South Side neighborhood.
“On a practical level, this brings another food option to the community. It brings a high-quality brand to the area,” Doig said. “Symbolically, having an iconic brand in an iconic historic neighborhood has a certain resonance. There is serendipity with that. It further adds to the prestige and credibility of the neighborhood.”
This isn’t the first development that CNI has brought to the Pullman neighborhood. CNI is also the master developer of Pullman Park, a 180-acre mixed-use site at 111th Street and Interstate-94. CNI coordinated $370 million in new investments at this development, a project that brought nearly 1,500 jobs to the area.
CNI also helped bring a Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Culver’s restaurant to Pullman, projects that Doig said offered all the proof the developer needed that the new Chick-fil-A would be a success.
“The Hope Center Foundation has been a key partner in this development,” Doig said. “They have a lot of credibility and influence in the community. Working with them was crucial to recruiting Chick-fil-A.”
Doig said that the Pullman neighborhood has become an attractive destination for both retailers and manufacturers thanks in part to the neighborhood’s historic nature. Doig pointed to Method, a company known for its environmentally-friendly cleaning products. That company opened a 15,000-square-foot manufacturing complex in Pullman as its first factory in the United States.
“Some of the companies we work with are a good fit for Pullman, like the green companies that use recyclable and sustainable elements,” Doig said. “There is an interesting juxtaposition of the innovation that Pullman represented in the 19th Century. These new companies represent 20th Century green innovations. That needs to be emphasized: Just because you have a historic neighborhood doesn’t mean that you can’t create a new history.”
According to a press release, Chick-fil-A Pullman will create 100 jobs for area residents.
Local government officials said that the new Chick-fil-A is a welcome addition to the Pullman community.
“The ongoing revitalization of the Pullman and Roseland communities is energizing,” said 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale, in a statement. “The opening of Chick-fil-A Pullman serves as an exciting milestone for future growth and job creation in Pullman Gateway.”