AUSTINTOWN — A new Chick-fil-A restaurant is set to open today at 5647 Mahoning Ave., the site of the former Mashorda’s County Gardens.

The location, the fifth for the popular Atlanta-based chicken restaurant chain in the Mahoning Valley, is owned / operated by Mahoning County native Jared Szari, who began his career with Chick-fil-A as a team member in 2004.

The store will employ approximately 120 full- and part-time employees. It will be open 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and will be open for dine-in, drive-thru and carry-out service, as well as third-party delivery. Customers also can order through a Chick-fil-A app.

“I am humbled to have the opportunity to create positive experiences for my team members and go the extra mile to serve our guests,” Szari said. “I am passionate about developing caring leaders with a strong work ethic and being a bright light in our communities.”

To celebrate the grand opening, Chick-fil-A Austintown will be surprising 100 “local heroes” who make an impact in Youngstown with free Chick-fil-A for a year.

In addition, Chick-fil-A will donate $25,000 to Feeding America. The funds will be distributed to partners within the greater Mahoning County area to aid in the fight against hunger. Chick-fil-A Austintown also will implement the Shared Table program, which will donate surplus food to the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley to feed those in need.

The other Valley Chick-fil-A locations are Howland, at the Southern Park Mall and Tiffany Square Plaza in Boardman and at Youngstown State University.

In June, Chick-fil-A purchased 3.21 acres at 5627 Mahoning Ave. and a 0.9-acre parcel at 5647 Mahoning Ave. — the area of the former garden center and nursery, Mashorda’s County Gardens — for $1.5 million and a 0.9-acre parcel at 5657 Mahoning Ave. for $350,000 to build the new restaurant.

This area of Mahoning Avenue near state Route 46 is a hub of new retail and dining activity that includes a new 1,000-square-foot Starbucks coffee shop and drive-thru in front of the Giant Eagle and a planned second Chipotle in the township near Interstate 80.