Driving down Squirrel road on a Thursday afternoon is usually uneventful. Oakland University and Elliott tower is on the east side of Squirrel, and on the west side is Starbucks, Jersey Mikes, Applebees but now — something completely different.
Chick-fil-A opened their new Auburn Hills restaurant at 2111 N Squirrel Rd on Thursday, April 17 to a horde of hungry customers who waited in long lines to purchase the freshly made fried chicken.
This was not the first Chick-fil-A to ever come to Auburn Hills. From 2012 to 2020, Chick-fil-A had its first Michigan location open at Oakland University. However, due to low demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as backlash on campus because of the former Chick-fil-A CEO’s comments on marriage equality, the Oakland University Chick-fil-A closed in 2020.
With only four true dining options in the Oakland Center — Slim Chickens, Halal Shack, Panda Express and Grizzly Street — students often find themselves going off campus to eat.
Students have consistently expressed their concerns with Chartwells, OU Eats and even OU’s administration about campus dining — in the past and in the present.
One student, Grey Gedowski, emphasized that students are looking for more affordable options, and so they will most likely flock to Chick Fil-A rather than other off-campus options.
“Students rely a lot on off-campus dining and food that is not on-campus,” Gedowski said. “Take a look at these other places, I mean these are nicer places that do cost money — and college students typically do not have money.”
Some students even believe that Chick-fil-A specifically threatens on-campus establishments, such as Slim Chickens.
“I think [Chick-fil-A] is stealing patrons and that is becoming a real issue,” second-year student, Elliott Zech, said. “More people need to go to Slim Chickens and support on-campus dining options.”
The closure of Hillcrest dining hall in the fall of 2023, as well as the ever-changing options of the Pioneer food court, have created a problem that Chick-fil-A may — whether intentionally or not — aim to solve.
Greg Russell is the owner and operator of Chick-fil-A in Auburn Hills, he sat down in an interview with The Oakland Post and commented on the process and the reward of opening up a franchise in Auburn Hills.
“It took me about 5 years just to get a ‘yes,’ for Auburn Hills,” Russell said. “I’m just honored and privileged to be a part of this community, and excited to make ever-lasting relationships with everyone around here.”
Russell emphasized not only his commitment to the Auburn Hills Chick-fil-A staff, but to the Auburn Hills community at-large.
“We’re going to serve on our community, we’re going to love on our community and make sure we make positive impacts on our team members as well,” Russell said.
With the school year coming to a close, and Pioneer food court raising its shutters for the coming season — many students who live on campus during the summer may turn to an alternative option.
For more information about on-campus dining at OU, visit dineoncampus.com/oakland/.
