As a student attending Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, it is heartbreaking to acknowledge the fact that the nearest Chick-Fil-A is nearly an hour away. That, accompanied by how the fast food chain was supposed to be built by GMX in downtown DeKalb but was left abandoned in 2021 due to COVID, only serves as salt in a freshly cut wound.

Although many people question the logistics of opening a Chick-Fil-A in such a small town, mainly regarding how well it’d perform financially, it is not too far fetched to think that the restaurant would thrive. If we compare DeKalb to Moline, another small Illinois city, the similarities are clear. Both cities have similar population sizes (40,211 and 41,965 respectively as of 2023) and similar land mass (14.81mi^2 and 15.79mi^2). The only difference is that there is a Chick-Fil-A in Moline, which has thrived since opening. Given that both cities have an almost equal spread of people per any given square mile, it is safe to assume that so long as there exists a demand, a Chick-Fil-A would also thrive here in DeKalb.

And there most definitely exists a demand. Based on the fact that GMX already had plans to open one downtown alone, a solid market can be established. This, alongside a recent poll taken on March 25 by NIU’s very own Northern Star that showed that out of a list of some of the most popular fast food chains in America, Chick-Fil-A was the popular option with 52% of votes, showcases the want, no, the need for a Chick-Fil-A in DeKalb.