Church's Chicken denies closing, plans 116th Puerto Rico restaurant
Church's Chicken denied a social-media claim that it would close in Puerto Rico and said it will open its 116th restaurant on the island in the coming weeks, in the Beverly Hills sector of San Juan, El Nuevo Día reported on November 6, 2026.
The chain operates 115 locations in Puerto Rico, the outlet reported. Grupo Larrea, which runs the franchise on the island, called false an image circulating online that announced the closing of the chain's restaurants starting November 30, 2026. The outlet reported that the denial came after the bankruptcy of Encanto Restaurants and the closing of restaurants run by that company.
The operator also said it is recruiting for 160 positions with immediate availability across Puerto Rico and will pay the Christmas bonus on November 13, the outlet reported.
A new restaurant on PR-1
Permit filings describe a new Church's Chicken building at PR-1, Km 20.5, in the Tortugo ward of San Juan, a short way along the highway from the Beverly Hills Court sector at Km 20.2. Its latest filing, on October 15, 2026, is the most recent on any new Church's Chicken restaurant in San Juan.
The project's first filing, a request for an infrastructure recommendation for a new structure to house the restaurant, was filed on May 3, 2022. The site has 23 filings under the chain's name since then. A permit for a concrete footing for the restaurant's pylon sign was filed on April 20, 2026.
An incidental single permit for the restaurant's construction was filed on June 5, 2026 and is recorded as approved. A later filing on the same case, entered on October 15, 2026, is under correction. A consolidated construction permit on the project's earlier case is recorded as pending.
The 7,867-square-meter property also holds a gas station, whose permit to run it with a convenience store was filed on April 26, 2025 and is recorded as approved. A 3,380-square-meter part of the property sold for $1,250,000 on September 17, 2026.
