Chase Bank plans to establish its first Wilmington-area branch on the former Wild Wing Cafe site in Landfall Shopping Center.
The city of Wilmington received a formal site application last week for an approximately 3,300-square-foot new Chase Bank at 1331 Military Cutoff Road. Wild Wing Cafe closed the site in early 2023 after operating in the Wilmington area for nearly two decades.
JPMorgan Chase Regional Communications Associate Ani Rodriguez confirmed to the Business Journal that the proposed bank location would be the company’s first in the area. Rodriguez said she couldn’t provide additional details about the location because the project hasn’t yet secured “regulatory approval.”
The New York City-headquartered financial institution
announced plans in February 2024 to open more than 500 new branches, renovate approximately 1,700 locations and hire 3,500 employees nationwide over three years. That included entering new markets and expanding the bank's footprint in several major cities, including Charlotte.
“When we open a branch, we’re not only investing in the financial health of residents, we’re committed to the health and vitality of the entire community," Marianne Lake, CEO of Consumer & Community Banking, said in a news release at the time.
“We work with government and community leaders to help drive sustainable impact. We provide local expertise and support through our branches; we lend to local businesses of all sizes, create jobs and long-term careers, and finance vital amenities that are the cornerstone of healthy neighborhoods such as hospitals, schools, transportation and grocery stores,” Lake added.
According to the release, Chase had the largest branch network in the United States and was the only bank to have branches in all lower 48 states. When the bank's branch expansion is complete, Chase will have added more than 1,100 branches and hired more than 10,500 employees to its Consumer Bank team since 2018.
As of Monday afternoon, site plans for the Wilmington branch weren’t available as part of the project's online submission. Lauren Edwards, a communications manager with the city of Wilmington, said site plans will be added to the application once it meets the city’s minimum submission requirements.
The 1.2-acre site is zoned for regional business development. According to a real estate listing, the former Wild Wing Cafe includes more than 6,300 square feet of restaurant space along with a roughly 1,200-square-foot covered patio area.
