SOURCE: Chick-fil-A
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March 26, 2008 08:00 ET
New Stand-Alone Chick-fil-A Restaurant Opens March 27 in College Station
Free Chick-fil-A for a Year Awaits First 100 Adults in Line at New Chick-fil-A Location
COLLEGE STATION, TX--(Marketwire - March 26, 2008) - Chick-fil-A®, the nation's
second-largest chicken restaurant chain, will award those willing to wait
in line for the March 27th opening of the new stand-alone Chick-fil-A
restaurant at 1719 Texas Ave. S. in College Station by giving away $26,000
in free
Chick-fil-A food to the first 100 adults in line that morning.
A one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A® Combo Meals (52 coupons) will be
awarded to each of the first 100 adults, age 18 and older with
identification, at the new stand-alone restaurant in College Station. The
line can begin forming up to 24 hours prior to the opening, with the prizes
being given away on March 27 sometime between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. The
restaurant will open for business immediately afterward.
Launched in 2003 to mark the opening of the chain's first stand-alone
restaurant in Arizona, the First 100 Fans promotion continues to draw
Chick-fil-A raving fans from all over the country. Armed with tents,
computers, games and even swimming pools, campers turn the grand opening
event into an all-night tailgate party.
"When we started the First 100 Fans promotion we were stunned when someone
arrived 18 hours in advance and asked where he could wait in line," said
Chick-fil-A, Inc. President Dan Cathy, who has camped out at dozens of
openings. "Almost five years later, we've given away more than $7 million
in free Chick-fil-A food across the country to raving fans who've braved
snow, wind, rain and triple-digit temperatures to help us celebrate the
opening of each new Chick-fil-A."
Chick-fil-A grand openings attract raving fans from around the country with
some traveling many hours and hundreds of miles from several states away to
take part in the festivities.
A 1997 graduate of Texas A&M, Jerald Huggins has been selected to operate
the new stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant in College Station. Huggins
worked at the Chick-fil-A in Bryan/College Station for four years before
moving to Houston to operate his own Chick-fil-A restaurant. After six
years in Houston, Huggins is eager to return to the College Station
community to operate the new restaurant.
"Since its first chain restaurant opened more than 40 years ago,
Chick-fil-A has become synonymous with freshly prepared food and 'my
pleasure' customer service," said Huggins. "My team and I are eager to
continue that legacy at the new stand-alone location in College Station."
The new 3,921 square-foot restaurant seats approximately 104 with
additional seating outside and features an indoor playground and an
award-winning drive-thru.
With more quick-service customers saying they favor the ease of drive-thru
service, Chick-fil-A's drive-thru offers a convenient way for Chick-fil-A
customers to get their freshly prepared food on the go. The new restaurant
is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., serving a full
breakfast menu until 10:30 a.m.
QSR® magazine's 2007 Best in Drive-Thru in America Survey found
Chick-fil-A top-ranked with a 95 percent score in order accuracy, a
category that remains the most important service criteria for drive-thru
customers. With a majority of survey participants saying service speed is
second only to order accuracy, Chick-fil-A finished second in service speed
among chains with more than two cars in the drive-thru. Chick-fil-A has
been recognized among the winners of the annual industry survey for six
consecutive years.
Truett Cathy developed the original Chick-fil-A boneless breast of chicken
sandwich in his 24-hour Dwarf House® diner near Atlanta in the early
1960s. The sandwich became so popular that Cathy opened his first
Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall in 1967. The chain has
grown to more than 1,375 locations in 37 states and Washington, D.C.
About Chick-fil-A Inc.
Chick-fil-A, Inc. reached more than $2.64 billion in sales in 2007. This
resulted in a 16.09 percent increase over the chain's 2006 performance and
included an 8.47 percent same-store sales increase. It is the 40th
consecutive year of sales growth for the chain which plans to add 88
locations this year, including 70 stand-alone restaurants.
Credited with inventing the boneless breast of chicken sandwich and first
introducing the chicken nugget concept, Chick-fil-A serves nutritious and
freshly prepared food products in mall locations, stand-alone restaurants,
drive-thru-only restaurants, Chick-fil-A Dwarf House and Truett's Grill®
full-service restaurants, and through licensed outlets in college campuses,
hospitals, airports, businesses and industrial sites. Information about
Chick-fil-A is available on the chain's websites, located at
www.chick-fil-a.com, www.chick-fil-apressroom.com or www.truettcathy.com.