A trio of new restaurants under construction have West Hartford residents wondering when they will open, with two close to doing just that.
One of the most anticipated restaurants is Sally’s Apizza, which is being constructed within the Jordan’s Furniture store at Westfarms mall. While the store is located just over the line in Farmington, it has caused a buzz in both towns.
According to a spokesperson for Sally’s, construction of the Westfarms pizzeria will be “substantially” completed before Christmas, and it is expected to open “shortly afterwards.” The spokesperson did not provide a specific date, but said the opening “is imminent.”
The 4,000-square-foot restaurant, which will feature not only Sally’s signature pies but also an 80-foot video display, has already hired more than 30 people, a mix of part- and full-time staff. The pizzeria expects to continue hiring additional employees, the spokesperson said.
Founded in New Haven in 1938, Sally’s now has five locations, including one in Woburn, Massachusetts. The others are all in Connecticut — the original in New Haven, plus sites in Fairfield, Stamford and Wethersfield. The Westfarms pizzeria will become its sixth overall.
Sally’s also has under construction three more Connecticut locations — in Newington, Norwalk and South Windsor — and three additional Massachusetts locations — in Boston Seaport, Concord and Dorchester.
Another restaurant set to open shortly is Just Salad, a fast-casual restaurant with 90 locations in seven states.
The national chain has nearly completed renovating the former Esquire Cleaners location at 2538 Albany Ave., in Bishops Plaza. Once complete, it will be the second Just Salad location in Connecticut, joining one in Fairfield. Additional locations are expected to open in Norwalk and Westport.
A company spokesperson said the 2,400-square-foot restaurant at Bishops Corner is “tentatively slated to open early next year,” but did not provide a specific date.
The spokesperson added that the restaurant will hire “roughly 18 to 20 employees” and plans to conduct “a hiring event or two,” but said it is too early to announce when those will be held.
Just Salad has gained a reputation for its healthy menu and sustainable practices. That includes being the first U.S. restaurant to carbon label its menu, which helps customers understand the environmental impact of the item they are purchasing.
The other, highly anticipated new restaurant coming to Bishops Corner is Chick-fil-A, which is renovating the approximately 5,000-square-foot location at 2534 Albany Ave., that was vacated in November 2023 by McDonald’s.
In a statement emailed by a company spokesperson, Chick-fil-A said the new restaurant is “projected to open in late spring 2025.” The statement added that the “locally owned and operated restaurant creates 80 to 120 jobs.”
The location will be the town’s second Chick-fil-A; the first opened on New Park Avenue in 2017 and was recently renovated. Unlike that location, however, the Albany Avenue restaurant will not have a drive-thru.
Eliot Gersten, an attorney with law firm Pullman & Comley, is the principal of Bishops Plaza LLC, which owns the 80,500-square-foot shopping center that is also home to Staples, Harvey’s Wine & Spirit Shop, Panera Bread, Supercuts and Dunkin’. He said Chick-fil-a has made substantial progress on its renovations.
“It’s not a big project, but it’s a lot of work converting a McDonald’s to a Chick-fil-A,” he said.
