Chick-fil-A, Blaze Pizza and Five Guys are set to open close to the end of 2021, however, no specific date has been announced to the public yet. Chick-fil-A is the country’s third-largest food chain with around 2500 locations. They are well known for their chicken as well as their “Chick-fil-A sauce.” The original owner, S. Truett Cathy, sadly passed away in 2014, leaving the franchise to his son, Dan Cathy who aims to keep Chick-fil-A a part of the community while staying closed on Sundays in order to leave it as a day of worship.

Blaze Pizza will be opening right next to Chick-fil-A and is known for having options for all dietary needs and restrictions. It was first founded in 2011 by the owners of Wetzel’s Pretzels, Elise and Rick Wetzel. Their company beliefs heavily revolve around being eco-friendly and taking out the chemicals and heavy processing normally involved in making pizza. They have eco-friendly packaging as well as fully made-from-scratch dough and sauce. They have many vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, including their gluten-free cauliflower crust, vegan cheeses and spicy chorizo (vegan meat). 

Five Guys will also be opening up near the Kirkwood Mall. Five Guys is an American fast-food chain that is known for its burgers and fries. The restaurant was first opened by Jerry Murrel in 1986 when he got the idea to open up a burger place after his mother told him, “If you don’t study you’ll be flipping burgers your whole life.” The restaurant is named after his family because it consists of five people – him and his four sons. He actually used the money he and his wife had saved for college for the boys. He wanted it to be a small-town, family-owned restaurant and now there are over 1000 restaurants nationwide.