Plans are in the works to completely tear down and rebuild the Chick-fil-A restaurant at 369 S. Mason Road over the summer. The location, which was built in 1995, simply is not large enough to handle the number of patrons, franchise operator Rusty Wiley said.

"We have far outgrown our current facility due to the growth in the Katy area and our loyal guests," Wiley said. "We are reinvesting heavily at our Mason Road location to accommodate guests' needs and the heavy traffic in and around the restaurant. It is our intention to have a facility that can handle not only our current business, but our future growth."

When the new building is complete, it will accommodate about 40 percent more seating in the dining room. Perhaps most importantly, however, it will allow for a kitchen configuration that will make it possible for the staff to prepare a higher volume of food, he said.

Crews will tear down the building May 1 and build the new store over the summer.

Colby said they expect to reopen sometime in the beginning of September.

Meantime, many of the approximately 70 employees will be moved to other Chick-fil-A locations in Cinco Ranch, Katy Mills and Cypress.

The increased space will also allow the restaurant to increase its outreach and charitable presence.

"We want to be an indispensable blessing to our community," Wiley said. "We want to be a business that is about our people and serving others. We think this new building will help propel us towards these goals."