New Chick-fil-A to Open in Augusta at Former Steak n’ Shake Location

A drive-thru-only Chick-fil-A will open in January 2026 at 4329 Belair Frontage Rd. in Columbia County. The restaurant is hiring workers and managers for kitchen and counter positions.

The site sits off Interstate 20's Exit 194. Though the property lies in Columbia County, its 30909 ZIP code gives it an Augusta address. A changeable-letter sign out front has been announcing a January 2026 opening.

The new Chick-fil-A will replace the former Steak n’ Shake that closed there in August 2023 after more than a decade in business. An investment group tied to Connecticut-based Ararat Miracle LLC, which developed the Steak n’ Shake that opened in September 2012, demolished the old building and redevelop the site into a 3,379‑square‑foot, Chick-fil-A with outdoor patio seating.​

Within weeks, the entire restaurant's furniture, kitchen equipment, and other supplies had been sold at auction.

Ararat first approached Columbia County planners in March 2024 with a concept for a smaller, 2,848‑square‑foot restaurant. Months later they returned with variances to build a larger footprint and shift the structure closer to the Jimmie Dyess Parkway–Belair Frontage intersection.