Bozeman's Chick-fil-A Is Finally Under Construction, Opening Early 2027

Summary: Bozeman's first standalone Chick-fil-A is under construction on the former MDT rest area northeast of North 19th Avenue and East Valley Center Road, by I-90. The City of Bozeman approved the building permit, the foundation is poured, and Chick-fil-A has confirmed an early 2027 opening.

After three years of rumors, there's finally a foundation in the ground. The City of Bozeman has approved the building permit, crews have poured the foundation, and Chick-fil-A confirmed the early 2027 timing to KBZK in September 2026. We've been following this one since the site plan first went to the city in December 2024.

When does the Bozeman Chick-fil-A open?

Early 2027, though there's no exact date yet. Chick-fil-A also hasn't named the local Owner-Operator.

Montana's herd is growing. Chick-fil-A announced the expansion on June 4, 2026, and says the four new restaurants will create more than 400 jobs statewide.

• Butte: Open since June 11, 2026, at 102 Cornerstone Place
• Bozeman: Under construction, opening early 2027
• Great Falls and Helena: Planned by 2027

We'll share the opening date as soon as it's out, so keep your cow print handy.

Where is the Bozeman Chick-fil-A being built?

The restaurant is going in northeast of the intersection of North 19th Avenue and East Valley Center Road, just south and west of Interstate 90, at 4500 E Valley Center. The site sits on the former Montana Department of Transportation rest area, which was vacated after a 2023 land trade opened the Headwaters Rest Area near Three Forks. It's part of a larger planned development known as the Bridger Center Master Site Plan.

The property is zoned B-2 (Community Business District), which allows for commercial uses like restaurants and hotels.

This will be Bozeman's first standalone Chick-fil-A. The other one in town is inside the Strand Union Building on the MSU campus, which opened in spring 2024.

What's planned for the Bozeman Chick-fil-A site?

According to the project narrative and site plan application, the restaurant includes:

• A new fast-food restaurant with a dual drive-thru
• Approximately 5,300 to 6,300 square feet of building area
• One standalone building
• Indoor and outdoor seating
• On-site parking, utilities, landscaping, lighting, and pedestrian connections

The Chick-fil-A is only Phase 1. A hotel with about 180 rooms is planned for the western portion of the site in Phase 2, according to city planning documents cited by KBZK, but there's no timeline for it yet.

What will the new Chick-fil-A look like?

The architectural narrative in the application leans on fitting in with the surrounding area rather than heavy corporate branding.

• Board-and-batten siding, stucco, stone accents, and varied façade materials
• Multiple canopies and parapet detailing to break up the building mass
• Articulation every 60 feet, meeting Bozeman Municipal Code standards
• Limited use of corporate branding elements
• Landscaping designed to soften the site and screen service areas

Don't expect a tall building. The proposed height is about 24 feet, in line with zoning requirements for the area.

The site came with a few challenges

Building here took extra work. Here's what the site plan had to account for:

• Seasonally high groundwater, so the site had to be raised for construction
• It lies within the Bozeman Solvent Site, which means no irrigation wells and extra oversight on excavation
• Some existing trees couldn't be relocated because of their size and root depth, though a few were donated locally

Stormwater will be handled through underground detention systems, and landscaping has to meet the City's updated water-efficient standards.

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