This July, Chick-fil-A will open its first restaurant in New York City, a location that Schimenti Construction has helped make happen. Schimenti is constructing a second Chick-fil-A in Port Jefferson, N.Y., also due to open this summer. Construction started in January on the 13,000-square-foot restaurant at 1000 Sixth Avenue, on the corner of West 37th Street. The three-floor location includes two kitchens and a dining room, a new passenger elevator, food conveying system and a monumental staircase. The interior of this new construction, based on Chick-fil-A’s new Heritage prototype, features a suspended soda bottle chandelier and wood batten wall coverings. This project posed substantial challenges, including limited space and the need for all new utilities.
For example, the passenger elevator was not large enough to accommodate the kitchen equipment, so Schimenti loaded the equipment directly through the elevator floor opening into the basement early in the construction schedule. Additionally, Schimenti’s strong working relationship with the city’s utility companies streamlined the complicated process of installing new gas, water and electric.
The architect is Chipman Design of Des Plaines, Ill., and the project engineer is MG Engineering of New York City.