BUTTE, Mont. — The wait is nearly over, as one of America’s most recognizable chain restaurants is set to open at the Cornerstone Plaza on the flats of Butte.
Chick-fil-A and Butte officials gathered Wednesday morning for a ceremonial ribbon cutting after lots of anticipation.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a business where there’s been more excitement about the opening of a business coming to Butte,” said Butte-Silver Bow chief executive J.P. Gallagher. “And the involvement that you guys have already had in the community is so exciting. Yesterday, sending out biscuits up to the courthouse. Becoming part of the Chamber of Commerce.”
It comes as Chick-fil-A is preparing to open new locations in Bozeman, Helena, and Great Falls by mid-2027.
Beginning Thursday, the Butte location will be open from 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m. six days a week, with 110 local employees already having been hired in preparation for the grand opening.
“The thought that they had corporate here as long as they did, 8 to 10 weeks, staying in our hotels. Shopping in our stores. Eating in our restaurants. It brings a lot of economic development to Butte,” said Stephanie Sorini, executive director of the Butte Chamber of Commerce.
“This is a super great opportunity, and we’re really drawn to Butte. It’s very blue collar, and we’re just excited. It’s a great opportunity to provide some great food in a clean and safe environment. And being able to partner with people, whether it’s schools, hospitals, other businesses, and being able to do things for high school sports, Montana Tech, we’re just super excited to get involved in the community and serve chicken,” said Calder Prevatt, a Belgrade resident and the owner-operator of Butte’s Chick-fil-A.
Prevatt grew up in Florida and moved to Montana in 2014. He went through the Chick-fil-A Leadership Development Program and says this moment has been years in the making for him.
“I left a manufacturing business in Belgrade about two years ago, went through the selection process, so we’ve been working on this for about two years to get to this point,” said Prevatt. “Just very blessed and thankful to be here.”
Chick-fil-A presented a check for $25,000 to the Montana Food Bank Network at the ribbon cutting. The restaurant will also redirect surplus food to local nonprofits once they open.
Anyone that dresses in cow print or brings a cow-spotted accessory on opening day will receive a free entrée or kids’ meal, and the first few hundred people through the doors will get additional gifts.
The double drive-thru will be open from 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m., and breakfast will be served from 6:30-10:30 a.m.
“We’ll have great car flow to be able to move people at a high volume. And our speed of service is going to be really quick,” said Prevatt.
Chick-fil-A, which is still hiring in Butte, becomes the fourth chain to open in the new Cornerstone Plaza, joining Planet Fitness, Chipotle, and Jersey Mike’s. Five Guys is the next chain expected to open in the near future.
The first Chick-fil-A opened in 1967, 21 years after the Cathy family opened the Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia. They now have over 3,000 locations worldwide.
