Franchisee Tom Van Voorn brought Chick-fil-A to the Capital City five years ago.
Van Voorn worked at the restaurant every day after that, he said. On Jan. 1, Van Voorn bought Chick-fil-A's Columbia location, leaving the Jefferson City restaurant to be closer to his home in Columbia.
"This store (in Columbia) is only about 8 miles from my house," Van Voorn said.
Chick-fil-A's Jefferson City location opened in 2014 after Van Voorn spent five years trying to bring the chain here.
Chick-fil-A spokesman Taylor Gill said in an email the chain's Jefferson City location at 3407 Missouri Blvd. is being operated by an interim manager until a new franchisee can be found.
"Operators occasionally transition between restaurant locations for various reasons," Gill said. "It's likely a new operator will transition in the coming weeks."
As he spoke from his Columbia restaurant barely two weeks into the transition, Van Voorn said he's happy with how the process is playing out.
"It all worked out in the end because it's close to home and my wife still works at St. Mary's (Hospital) in Jefferson City," Van Voorn said.
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