Chick-fil-A adding second location in Manteca area as Stanislaus County waits for its first

It’s no secret that Stanislaus County residents desperately want a Chick-fil-A, but while they wait for that to happen, a second location is coming to a region miles up the freeway.

One of Northern California’s fastest-growing cities , Lathrop, soon will get its first Chick-fil-A in the Lathrop Marketplace shopping center, anchored by Target. Lathrop has seen a 5.4% growth in population between 2023 and 2024.

The city is centrally located within a 30-minute drive from Modesto, Tracy, Manteca, Stockton, Lodi, Livermore and Pleasanton.

The new Chick-fil-A, at Golden Valley and River Islands parkways, will sit about nine and a half miles from the Manteca location.

Lathrop Marketplace also houses Sprouts Farmers Market, In-N-Out, Chipotle and Starbucks.

When choosing a location, Chick-fil-A considers proximity to a freeway and parcel size to accommodate its long drive-thru, Modesto’s director of community and economic development, Jessica Hill, previously told The Bee .

So far, Modesto has been unable to offer a parcel that works for the restaurant.

While the Lathrop Chick-fil-A will be in the same shopping center as an In-N-Out — a restaurant that also has a long drive-thru — Lathrop Marketplace is relatively large at 76.5 acres and not fully developed, allowing enough distance between the two chains.

Plans for the Chick-fil-A were approved and presented to the Lathrop City Council in January, though construction on the site has just begun. It is not known when the restaurant will open.

Sign Up for Local Breaking News