Vestal Chick-fil-A Site Being Cleared for Construction

An abandoned building in Vestal is being torn down in preparation for the construction of a long-awaited Chick-fil-A restaurant.

Demolition of the former Storming Crab restaurant in the Town Square Mall on the Vestal Parkway began Tuesday morning.

WATCH: The start of the demolition. Video at the end of this article.

A glimpse through a broken window of the early stages of demolition of the Storming Crab restaurant on July 21, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

LCP Group is removing the structure that has been vacant since Storming Crab's sudden closure in 2022. The seafood restaurant operated at the site for less than two years. The building previously was home to Uno Pizzeria and Grill for several years.

Planning for a Vestal Chick-fil-A location began about a decade ago. In November 2017, then-town supervisor John Schaffer said a developer was making preparations for a Chick-fil-A at another Parkway site. That project didn't materialize.

An old shopping cart next to the Storming Crab demolition site on July 21, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Over the past couple of years, a significant amount of work has gone into developing a restaurant at the Town Square Mall.

Town, county and state officials have reviewed plans for the project with a particular eye on potential traffic problems that could occur when the Chick-fil-A opens.

Construction fencing has been erected around the future Chick-fil-A site in Vestal. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Northeastern Site Development of Deposit is working with the Bannett Group of New Jersey on the Vestal project.

The restaurant is expected to open in January, about three months after a Chick-fil-A location in the Oakdale Commons is to begin operations.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: The demolition of the former Storming Crab building underway on July 21, 2026.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com.

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