Chick-fil-A in Derby is branching out this summer, as the restaurant recently launched a mobile service initiative starting with a pop-up location in Haysville as of May 31.
The satellite location is set up in front of the USD 261 Learning Center (150 Stewart Ave.) in Haysville and will be serving lunch from 11:30 a.m. to roughly 1 p.m. every Monday through the summer.
Due to the pop-up nature, a limited menu is offered including both regular and spicy chicken sandwiches, waffle potato chips, cookies and various beverages, but there is a specific website – www.cfaderbyks.com – that allows for customers to expand their options at that location.
“We have a preordering website that allows for an extended menu to be ordered, and that would also allow guests to reserve their meals because once we run out in Haysville, we are out,” said Derby Marketplace Chick-fil-A brand growth director Paige Lamkins.
Part of the Chick-fil-A on Wheels initiative, the Derby Marketplace restaurant is currently operating a pop-up solely in Haysville, but Lamkins said it is open to more pop-ups in the future. She said the locations would depend on the drive time and how fresh employees could keep the food during the commute.
A native and current resident of Haysville, there was some personal investment in starting the initiative there for Lamkins – though expanding the reach of Chick-fil-A is not a mission the Derby location plans to back away from anytime soon.
“That, in particular, was just a community that was near and dear to my heart and I knew that they would teach us a lot of valuable things about the pop-up as we were getting it started, because it really is a second portion of our business,” Lamkins said. “We just want to have the chance to impact these communities near us like Rose Hill, Mulvane, even south Wichita that is disconnected from the other Chick-fil-As, to try and bring them the joy that they don’t get to see at other restaurants. That’s really what Chick-fil-A’s about and it’s always an honor to have these resources to be able to impact people in this way.”
Working with the Haysville school district on its pop-up location is part of what set the initial summer parameters, but Lamkins noted the restaurant will continue that work through the school year for continued mobile efforts. She said she has also been talking to some regional colleges about similar services.
So far, the pop-up location has been a hit and while a permanent location is not something Lamkins can control she said she and the Derby location are committed to continuing mobile service efforts in Haysville and beyond.
“They wish for a restaurant to be built out there, and that’s not something that I can do, but what I can do is further my team’s development and further the market and create that market. We can do things like being there more often or maybe even a food truck in the future,” Lamkins said. “That’s probably the next thing that we’d look at because with a food truck we can cook everything fresh and we can go as far out as the Oklahoma border.”
For future updates on the Chick-fil-A on Wheels efforts, check the Chick-fil-A Derby Marketplace Facebook page.
