Alex Jensen//July 25, 2023//

Fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is preparing to open its first location in Portland since one at Lloyd Center closed in 2003.
The company is seeking design approval for a project to convert a strip club, The Venue Gentlemen’s Club, at 9950 S.E. Stark St., into a restaurant. The proposal calls for facade and roof alterations to the 39-year-old, 7,012-square-foot building as well as additions of landscaping and right-of-way dedications. However, the restaurant will not have a drive-thru.
Based on an early assistance application, which allows a project team to receive information before seeking a permit, plans call for 98 indoor seats and some outdoor ones.
This new Portland location would add to the fast-food chain’s increasing presence in the region, where restaurants already operate in Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, Clackamas, Keizer, and Vancouver, Washington.
Currently, the project is under review by the Bureau of Development Services.