Chipotle Mexican Grill, Chick-fil-A Added to List of New Restaurants for Area Near Eagle Ridge Mall

A Chipotle Mexican Grill may rise soon between the Hampton Inn and Slim Chickens on US 27 North in Lake Wales.

The boom in development of new fast-casual restaurants in Lake Wales is continuing unabated, pacing the area's fast-growing residential population.

New conceptual applications have been submitted for both a Chipotle Mexican Grille and a Chick-fil-A restaurant. Pre-application meetings have been completed for both, according to city officials.

Most of the newly-announced sites are clustered around the Eagle Ridge Mall on US 27 at Chalet Suzanne Road. An announced new Dunkin location on SR 60 bucks that trend.

The new proposals follow the approval of a new Panera Bread, already under construction just south of Aldi, also on US 27. That followed close upon the opening of Slim Chickens and Freddy's restaurants in the same area.

The area around the mall, and the mall itself, are becoming the target of significant new development as a surge of residential growth occurs further south and east of the area. More than 17,000 new residential units are proposed or under development within Lake Wales city limits.

A Chick-fil-A has been proposed for construction just south of Wawa in front of the Eagle Ridge Mall.

The proposed Chick-Fil-A would be located south of Wawa on the east side of Hwy 27 on a mall outparcel proposed in recent months to host a Starbucks Coffee, and then a Culver's Restaurant. The site is just north of an existing Medical office building.

The proposed Chipotle Mexican Grill would be located south of Slim Chickens and north of the Hampton Inn hotel, on the east side of US 27.