ELLENWOOD, Ga. -- Thousands of sandwiches, doughnuts and cookies will soon be baked in Clayton County, Ga., and delivered daily to QuikTrip Inc. gas stations throughout the metro area, according to a report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The gas station and convenience store chain will open a QT Kitchens commissary-bakery in Ellenwood, near Atlanta, Clayton County officials announced Monday.
QT Kitchens offer gourmet-style sandwiches, grilled items, wraps, pastries, cookies and muffins. Previously, the company had these type of items brought in to each store, [image-nocss] but has found success in making the items fresh at each location and has retrofitted older locations to accommodate the kitchens.
The project will bring 227 jobs to Clayton, said the report. The majority of the jobs have already been filled. "At a time when we are looking to create as many jobs as we can, this is a large employer bringing a significant number of jobs to the county," Grant Wainscott, the county's economic development director, told the newspaper.
A grand opening is scheduled for today, but production will not start until next week, Wanda Bender, a spokesperson for the county commission, told the paper. The baked goods will be distributed to 115 stores in the area starting May 1.
The 112,000-square-foot bakery is located off I-675. "[QuikTrip] had land on the north side of town, but chose to acquire this site and develop here because of the easy access to I-675 to get to the 115 stores," Wainscott said.
The project has already generated $16.2 million in real estate and construction costs for Clayton, Wainscott said. QuikTrip spent another $6.8 million on equipment for the facility, according to the report. Wainscott said he did not know how much tax revenue the project will generate.
Tulsa, Okla.-based QuikTrip, with approximately 500 convenience stores in nine states, has QT Kitchens in Kansas City and Tucson, Ariz. The company also plans to open a Dallas location in 2009, according to its website.
Click herefor previous CSP Daily News coverage.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.