17 Years and Counting: The Future of Chick-fil-A Miami Lakes
By Robert Rojas
On Oct. 21, Miami Lakes Chick-fil-A’s social media account – @chickfilamiami – posted an Instagram reel from the franchise operator, Tony Sampayo, thanking the local community for their contributions to the business over the past 17 years, explaining that they would be “moving” to the sister Miramar and Miami Gardens locations.
This news came as a shock to our school since many students, as well as teachers, come to the location after school or during lunch. Reactions were mixed, as students didn’t fully understand if the location we’ve all come to enjoy and love over the span of our stay here at MLEC would be staying or getting taken away.
“Today during my first block I heard that the Chick-fil-A is closing and it didn’t really make sense to me because I know that they get a lot of business from the students. I come here almost every day after school,” said senior Dayami Suazo.
The Miami Lakes Chick-fil-A location is going to remain in business and fully operational for all students and residents of the area to enjoy; the only change coming to the 17-year-old store is a change in management as operator Tony Sampayo leaves the business to let the Chick-fil-A corporation find a new franchisee.
Tony Sampayo, alongside his wife Gloria and his team, has built up the store from nothing to the hospitable eatery we know today. “To me, it’s a very sad moment; we’ve been growing here in the community with small and large businesses and schools, especially your school, but it’s time when we get a call for a new assignment, and we’re excited for that too,” said franchise operator Tony Sampayo in a statement to The Harbinger.
“I’m really happy that the store is staying open cause that means I get to come here after school still,” commented freshman Joey Ledea.
After school, the Miami Lakes Chick-fil-A serves as the answer for many students whose parents work late-hour shifts or simply want a relaxing place to go. MLEC is not a ‘neighborhood school,’ meaning that our school’s campus is mostly surrounded by business and industrial facilities such as warehouses. Unlike other schools in our area, such as Barbara Goleman Senior High School and Hialeah Gardens Senior High School.
Therefore, the Miami Lakes location was one of the only businesses that students are highly welcome to in the local walking range vicinity. If this franchise had closed, students would have had to make the long walk over to Main Street – Miami Lakes’ nearest restaurant and shopping center.
But the saved time doesn’t only affect students. Many teachers use their 45-minute lunch to very quickly drive over to Chick-fil-A to pick up a fast bite. Without this location, many teachers wouldn’t have been able to make the drive over to other locations and come back in time for their last block of the day.
The new changes will come into effect on Nov. 1st when the franchise is officially taken out of Sampayo’s hands and given to a new franchisee. But worry not, as everyone will still be able to continue going to the Chick-fil-A that students and staff have both come to learn about and love to go to.
