Florida officers find 5-year-old on solo breakfast adventure at Chick-fil-A
Police in Jacksonville, Florida, find 5-year-old happily enjoying breakfast at a Chick-fil-A after wandering from home.
There are good times to be had with upcoming Chick-fil-A store openings in Indiana, especially for kiddos.
A half-dozen new restaurants, like the one under construction in Beech Grove, will be offering inside play spaces, in addition to its sandwiches, waffle fries and lemonade, to draw families.
“We’re super excited. It’s like the newest version of the play place,” said Kevin Brown, owner-operator of the Beech Grove store. “At Chick-fil-A, we are super committed to families. It’s in our DNA. So we are building our new restaurants with kind of the latest and greatest kids’ play place.”
Featuring a slide, oversized graphics and places for the coat and shoes of youngsters, the glassed-in two-level play space at Brown’s restaurant will be among the largest of Chick-fil-A restaurants in the Indianapolis area.
“It’s kind of like that analog fun. You’re not going to find screens in there. You’re going to find kind of good old-fashioned just climbing and sliding; that sort of thing,” said Brown, a former U.S. military officer who is relocating from the downtown Indianapolis store at 10 E. Washington.
He’s targeting March for the opening of the free-standing unit with a two-lane drive-through operation.
“The high school’s already reached out. They’re so excited, just like we are. They’re like, ‘Hey, how do we how do we create stronger bonds between the school and Chick-fil-A. Kids love Chick-fil-A, and we love kids; so the natural thing,” Brown said.
More Chick-Fil-A locations coming to Indiana
The Beech Grove store is among six locally-owned Chick-fil-A restaurants launching in Indiana in 2026, each with play areas unique to the locations.
A Kokomo store opened on Feb. 19. The Beech Grove store is targeting a March opening; a Franklin store is expected to open in the spring; and locations are planned for Bloomington, Plainfield and south Indianapolis later this year.
Chick-fil-A is exploring new prototype formats to better serve specific communities, with each restaurant designed to reflect its local neighborhood, the College Park, Georgia-based company said.
The play spaces in select restaurants are part of a commitment to creating family-friendly environments where customers can spend meaningful time together, in addition to dining, it said.
“For many families across the region, Chick-fil-A is more than a place to grab a meal. As we continue to expand across Indiana, we are focused on creating restaurants that feel welcoming and intentionally designed for families,” Mandy Brantley, senior area director for the Midwest region, said in a written statement. “Including play spaces in each of our new metro Indianapolis restaurants reflects our commitment to investing in spaces where children can engage, families can connect and communities can build meaningful memories together.”
New owner-operator Meg Puello, mom to nine-year old Nolan and seven-year–old Ana Kate, is familiar with the concept, on a couple of levels.
Puello worked for Greenwood Chick-fil-A locations operated by her father before training to own her own store in Franklin. She’s anticipating a late March or early April opening.
“At Chick-fil-A, they’re always striving to figure out what families and what the communities are needing. So I’m really thankful to have a playground and to be able to have a place that kids can come and play,” she said. “There are lot of neighborhoods around us. There are a lot of families. And I personally took my children to Chick-fil-A playgrounds on more occasions than I can count.”
“They love being able to spend time whenever we have the chance at our Chick-fil-A.”
Where is Chick-fil-A opening in Indiana in 2026?
The Indianapolis area currently has about 28 Chick-fil-A restaurants.
With each new restaurant, the company donates $25,000 to the Feeding America hunger relief organization for local efforts.
The additional six stores will add up to 600 new full- and part-time jobs.
Indiana stores opening in 2026 include:
- Kokomo: 1014 S. Reed Rd., opened February 2026
- Beech Grove: 5151 E. Thompson Rd., projected opening March
- Franklin: 2430 N Morton, projected opening late mrch/early April
- Bloomington: address and target date for opening to be announced
- Plainfield: address and target date for opening to be announced
- Indianapolis: address and target date for opening to be announced
Contact reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cjackson@usatodayco.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com:@cherylvjackson or Bluesky:@cherylvjackson.bsky.social.
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