Dominic Gatta, the chief operating officer for a Freddy’s franchise group, is requesting Fairfield approve an amended concept plan and final development plan for the fast-casual restaurant on the north end of the Meijer property on Kolb Drive. The request was first presented to Fairfield City Council earlier this month, and a joint council and planning commission public hearing was held on Monday.
Gatta said they are “very fortunate to be able to start our expansion, hopefully, in Fairfield.”
“We know this is one of the leading communities for doing business and we felt this would be a perfect opportunity for us to align ourselves with a community that shares the same values of what Freddy’s was built on,” he said.
Credit: Provided
Credit: Provided
The franchise group will purchase an acre of land in the northeast corner of the Meijer parking lot. The fast-casual restaurant would take up around 90 parking spots of the 1,200-spot lot. The proposed location is part of the Meijer-Gilmore Planned Unit Development (PUD) that was approved in 1995 so the Meijer could be constructed.
The proposed Freddy’s is planned to be 2,400 square feet and will have outdoor patio seating and a drive-thru window. It would also have a brick veneer exterior with stone wainscotting on all four sides, according to the plans. An overhang will partially cover the patio.
If approved, this would be the third restaurant within the Meijer-Gilmore PUD. In 2019, a much-anticipated Chick-fil-A restaurant opened along South Gilmore Road. In 2021, Dunkin’ Donuts opened next to Chick-fil-A.
April 13 planning commission consideration, with the second and third legislative readings expected on April 25 and May 9.
If approved, this Freddy’s location would be the first of about a dozen locations owned by Gatta’s franchise group in the Cincinnati-Dayton region planned over the next several years, he said. There are several Freddy’s locations in southwest Ohio owned by other franchisees, the closest to Fairfield being in West Chester Twp..
“We just opened two locations in the Cleveland area, and we have a pretty aggressive development schedule for the entire state,” Gatta said. “We’ve been working with Meijer on a couple of locations throughout the state and they kind of fit well with our demographic. They seem to work well with our business.”
Construction on the project could begin as soon as this summer, if approved by the city this spring, and be finished within the calendar year. Several dozen full- and part-time employees would also be hired.
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