New restaurants and businesses continue to open across Great Falls - recent arrivals include Texas Roadhouse, Panera Bread, Pomodoro, Xochitl, and Pizza Ranch.
And now, rumors swirling for several months have been confirmed by Mayor Cory Reeves, who made an announcement in a Facebook post on Thursday evening.
Reeves posted: "Big news for our community… let’s go, Great Falls! We can officially announce that WinCo Foods is coming to Great Falls and will be moving into the old Shopko building. On top of that, Chick-fil-A is also coming to town! Both companies have now submitted their building permits, which is a big step forward in making these projects a reality. This means new jobs, new investment, and more options for our residents."
Quentin Shores reports - watch the video here:
We checked with Bruce Haman of the Great Falls Planning & Community Development Office, who confirmed that Chick-fil-A has submitted building plans and they are being reviewed.
KRTV reported in February 2025 that Chick-fil-A submitted a traffic impact study to the city, which is an assessment of potential impacts a proposed project might have on surrounding roads.
The proposed location is 711 10th Avenue South. At the time, city officials noted: "The traffic study submittal is a good sign the project is moving forward."
The popular fast-food restaurant specializes in chicken sandwiches and waffle fries, and has more than 3,000 locations across the country, including several in Montana — in Kalispell, Missoula, Bozeman, and Billings. There are also plans in the works for Chick-fil-A restaurants in Butte and in Helena.
KRTV reported in September 2025 that WinCo Foods was registered as the owner of the building that formerly was Shopko. WinCo operates grocery stores in several Montana communities, including Helena, Bozeman, and Billings.
Shopko, which was located at 301 Northwest Bypass, closed in 2019.
At this point, there is no word on when Chik-fil-A or WinCo plan to open. We will update you as we get more information.
MORE RESTAURANT NEWS
Annapurna Indian restaurant is opening soon at 1220 Ninth Street South, the space formerly occupied by Maria's Mexican restaurant. Annapurna says on its Facebook page that they will serve "traditional Himalayan and Indian dishes," including Butter Chicken, Tandoori, Biryani, Momos, fresh Naan, and many more authentic Himalayan flavors. They plan to open in late March.
River & Range Bistro plans to open soon in Great Falls. The owner says that at this point, they are planning to open in late April, but have not yet announced the location. Sample menu items that they have shared on Facebook include Osso Buco, Caramelle Pasta, and Poached Cod Vin Blanc.
Haunted Scoops is preparing to open at 1900 Fourth Street NE in the space formerly occupied by Nitro Creamery. The owners say will be serving "handcrafted artisan ice scream that's so good it's scary!"
