The Lake's First Chick-fil-A Opens on a Parkway Already Booked Through December

The new building sits at 3923 Osage Beach Parkway, across from Steak & Shake and Outback Steakhouse. Earthmoving started there after Chick-fil-A confirmed its first Lake-area location in summer 2025, and the signage and kitchen equipment showed up after that. The doors are scheduled to open at 6:30 a.m. today, Thursday, Nov. 5.

The opening also lands in the middle of a full local schedule. Over the next six weeks, the Parkway and the city hall just off it host a Veterans Day parade, a Rotary fundraiser for children's charities and three Friday nights with Santa. The city, a service club and a fraternal lodge run those events. So the most-talked-about opening of the fall arrives on a road whose late-season calendar was already set by people who live here.

Thursday at 3923 Osage Beach Parkway

Chick-fil-A's Oct. 29 announcement gives Jim Hernandez as the local Owner-Operator. It lists hours of 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The restaurant offers dine-in, drive-thru, carry-out, third-party delivery, Mobile pick-up and Mobile Thru.

Opening day comes with a costume deal the company calls a "Moove-In Party." Anyone who shows up in cow spots, from a full cow suit to a single spotted accessory, can get one free entrée or kid's meal. Lake Expo spelled out the rules:

• You have to order in person while dressed in the spots, either inside or in the drive-thru
• The offer runs until the 10 p.m. close, one per person, while supplies last
• Breakfast choices are a Chick-fil-A biscuit, an egg white grill or chick-n-minis
• Lunch and dinner choices are a chicken sandwich, a spicy chicken sandwich, 8-count nuggets fried or grilled, or a 5-count nugget kid's meal

Lake Expo reported that he and his wife, Teddi, moved from Leawood to Osage Beach. According to the company announcement, he started at Chick-fil-A in 2020 as a volunteer at a local restaurant before working his way into all parts of operations. In the same release, he said, "The Lake of the Ozarks has been a special place for my family for years, and it means so much to have the opportunity to open the first Chick-fil-A in Osage Beach."

That makes the newest name on the Parkway a family that moved here, and they're opening two days before the city's own event on the same road.

Saturday, the Same Road Carries the Parade

The Veterans Day Parade steps off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7. The Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau listing gives the route:

1. It starts at Osage Beach City Hall, 1000 City Parkway
2. It travels down Osage Beach Parkway
3. It ends at the Lake of the Ozarks Elks Lodge, which is serving free food to everyone afterward

The listing's contact number is 573-552-2901. Plan any Saturday errands on the Parkway around that 1 p.m. start.

The timing matters for anyone heading to the new restaurant. Saturday is the third day Chick-fil-A is scheduled to be open, and the parade uses the same corridor that afternoon. Ending at the Elks Lodge with a free meal keeps the parade's own lunch local, and the visitor bureau listing invites everyone.

Two Weeks of Trees at Wobbly Boots

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Parkway's next event moves a mile or so down the road to Wobbly Boots BBQ at 4717 Osage Beach Pkwy. That's where the Gala of Trees runs from Nov. 10 through Nov. 20.

Here are the two dates to know:

• Opening happy hour: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 5 to 7 p.m.
• Ladies Night: Thursday, Nov. 12, 5:30 p.m.

The organizer is the Lake Ozark Rotary Noon Club. According to the visitor bureau's event listing, proceeds support children's charities, including the Rotary Club's Candyland program for local children in need. Wobbly Boots' own events page, updated Oct. 29, 2026, describes the beneficiaries as Lake-area children's charities.

This is the same pattern as the parade. A local service club runs the event, a Parkway business hosts it, and the money stays in the Lake area. The Gala wraps up six days before Thanksgiving, so the decorated trees fill the gap between Veterans Day and the holiday weekend.

The Calendar From Here to Mid-December

After the Gala, the schedule mostly moves to holiday tables and City Hall, with two bigger light events across the lake in Laurie for anyone willing to drive.

On Thanksgiving, The Encore Lakeside Grill and the Inn at Grand Glaize both appear on the visitor bureau calendar for Nov. 26. Call either one directly for times before you count on a reservation.

Santa at City Hall is in its third year. The 2026 listing moves to three Friday evenings, Dec. 4, 11 and 18, all from 5 to 7 p.m. If you went last year, don't go by memory. The 2025 dates were different and included weekend days.

The calendar starts and ends at the same address. The parade begins at 1000 City Parkway on Nov. 7, and Santa's last evening there is Dec. 18. In between, the Parkway hosts a ribbon-cutting, a fundraiser and a parade route, and City Hall serves as the starting point at both ends.

The Walking Project Still Waiting on Hwy 42

Not every local plan is on the calendar yet. Just off the Parkway, the city's Highway 42 sidewalk is still being designed, and Lake Expo's recent update explains why it has taken so long.

The project is a 0.85-mile sidewalk paid for in part by a federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant. Lake Expo reported that the city is more than four years into the project and hasn't broken ground. The route was first drawn on the east side of the highway, connecting Prewitt's Point and City Park. It has now moved to the west side, passing Faithbridge Church and Osage Animal Hospital, and a future crosswalk is planned to connect it to Peanick Park.

According to Lake Expo, the city approved $8,940 for an archaeological team at its Oct. 15 meeting. Project manager Colten Wright said the city hoped to award a construction contract in the spring. The target is 2027, and the archaeological review has to come first. For now, the Hwy 42 sidewalk is a line on a revised plan. The next public step is the contract award the city is aiming for next spring.

We live and work around the Lake too, and our team at Rudloff Legacy Group is happy to point you to anything on this calendar, from the best way to the Laurie Fairgrounds to which Friday works best for a Santa visit at City Hall. If you're new to Osage Beach this season and want help finding your way around, reach out anytime. Contact Us.