Pinecrest Gains Chick-fil-A Restaurant

As a Pinecrest real estate expert, I can tell you that the grand opening of the Pinecrest Chick-fil-A on January 2 was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Owner Karyna Kaufmann (with scissors) at the grand opening. To the Left is Pinecrest Police chief Jason CoHEN.

The restaurant collaborated with the Pinecrest police to ensure smooth traffic flow, and the sight of flashing blue and red police lights on US-1 served as a welcoming sign that the store was officially open for business.

Eager eaters were greeted by even more eager employees and store management. There were balloons and lots of smiles as the smells of Chick-fil-A meals filled the air.

The stand-alone restaurant is open to satisfy your chicken cravings daily from 6:30 AM to 11:00 PM, except on Sundays when it is closed. Conveniently located at 13001 S. Dixie Hwy., it offers both dine-in and curbside service, as well as delivery options. They even offer catering.

Florida-born owner Karyna Kaufmann explained, “My journey with Chick-fil-A began 19 years ago as a team member. I first was an owner operator in Gainesville, FL. Then, in 2021, I moved to Kendall and became the owner operator at the Dadeland Mall location. In our new Pinecrest restaurant, we have 110 team members, 65 of which came with me from Dadeland. I’m excited that we are able to grow our team and bring over a lot of experience from the Dadeland location.”

Years ago, once she understood how tight-knit a community Pinecrest was, Kaufmann set her goal on a stand-alone location here. She loves that the restaurant is adjacent to Suniland Park and hopes that families come in after a game to enjoy some good food. “We are so proud and excited to serve Pinecrest and the surrounding area,” said Kauffmann. “With our dine-in option and plenty of spaces for the curbside experience, we look forward to being able to interact with our guests and become a staple in the area. We want to be here for years to come.”

During my opening day visit, I noticed the plentiful smiles and sheer energy buzz of activities. Each of the team members were happy and engaging. None more so than Kauffmann’s long-time teammate, Hannah.

“It’s been quite the journey,” explains Operating Partner Hannah Klippel. “I just celebrated my 7-year anniversary with Chick-fil-A and Karyna’s family. She is all about community. We are so excited to have our restaurant in one of the best neighborhoods in South Florida.”

Klippel started with Chick-fil-A in Gainesville as a team member and then became a marketing director and moved up through the years to be Karyna’s Operating Partner. “What I find most important is that I really just felt so cared for as a team member and as an individual, and knew that this was a company that I really wanted to grow with!”

The food at Chick-fil-A Pinecrest is exactly what you’d expect, but the service is exemplary. The dine-in experience had real flower arrangements at the table and the staff came to check on guests to make sure they had everything they needed. The ordering process was also butter-smooth and quick, despite a large number of people.

Outside, there were multiple team members at the entrance driveway with signs pointing people in the right direction to have their orders taken and then drive to one of the many curbside pickup spots where the food would be brought to them.

There is no drive-thru at this location, but I found the curbside pickup even more satisfying. Again, it was the smiles and efficiency of the staff that really impressed.

Klippel summed it up best when she said, “It’s all about community and family. We treat our guests like family and Karyna has made me feel like family from the first moment I met her in Gainesville. I've never felt more cared for by anyone than I have with Karina. She's given me an opportunity to set my life up and she's given that opportunity to dozens of other team members as well. We come from all different backgrounds, all different beliefs, and that's never affected the way that we felt as team members, working for Chick-fil-A.”

All the information for Chick-fil-A Pinecrest can be found at chick-fil-a.com/locations/fl/pinecrest. Don’t forget you can also place your order ahead of time on the Chick-fil-A app.