The US chicken restaurant chain is targeting a former Pizza Hut site at Snipe Retail Park, with a two-lane drive-thru proposal awaiting planning approval.
US quick-service restaurant chain Chick-fil-A is planning its first restaurant in Greater Manchester, with a proposed drive-thru development at Snipe Retail Park in Ashton-under-Lyne. The plans involve converting a vacant former Pizza Hut restaurant into a new Chick-fil-A outlet, marking another step in the brand’s expansion across the UK.
The planning application, submitted by CBRE Investment Management, proposes partially demolishing the existing building, extending the premises and installing a two-lane drive-thru. CBRE Investment Management, which manages the Hampshire County Council Pension Fund, intends to lease the redeveloped property to Chick-fil-A once construction is completed.
Located off Manchester Road, the proposed restaurant would be accessed through the Snipe Retail Park car park. The development would require the removal of 53 existing standard parking spaces to accommodate the extension and drive-thru, while 47 parking spaces would remain following the redevelopment.
The property previously operated as a McDonald’s before becoming a Pizza Hut. The latter closed in October 2025 amid financial difficulties, leaving the premises vacant for more than a year. The developers said the proposal would bring the disused restaurant back into commercial use and create full-time and part-time employment opportunities, although the number of jobs has not been disclosed.
The application was validated by Tameside Council on 29 October 2026 and remains under consideration. No construction schedule or opening date has been announced.
The proposed development comes as Chick-fil-A accelerates its UK expansion following its return to the market in 2025. The company has committed to investing more than US$100 million over the next 10 years and initially targeted five UK restaurant openings within its first two years.
The chain has established locations in London, Leeds, Liverpool and Northern Ireland, alongside its latest Scottish expansion. Its Hamilton Palace Grounds restaurant, which opened on 29 October 2026, introduced Chick-fil-A’s first UK drive-thru format. The restaurant is expected to create approximately 100 full-time and part-time jobs.
Chick-fil-A is also expanding its drive-thru pipeline in northern England. Rotherham Council has approved plans to convert a former Pizza Hut at Cortonwood Retail Park into another drive-thru restaurant, while the company is pursuing a proposed Nottingham location through the redevelopment of a former Footasylum retail unit on Clumber Street.
Founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy, Chick-fil-A operates more than 3,000 restaurants across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the UK and Singapore. The company is the third-largest quick-service restaurant business in the US and employs more than 200,000 team members across its restaurant network.
Chick-fil-A follows a distinctive franchise structure based on independent local Owner-Operators, who are responsible for operating individual restaurants and engaging with their communities. Its model differs from conventional franchise arrangements, with the company selecting individual operators to lead its restaurants.
If approved, the Ashton-under-Lyne development would give Chick-fil-A its first foothold in Greater Manchester and strengthen its growing presence in the UK’s regional retail and drive-thru markets.
