Along with tons of excitement, Chick-fil-A’s grand opening on College Drive today also brought the chance for locals to win free meals for a year.
People began camping out at the restaurant Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. in hopes of being one of the first 100 adults in line in order to receive a year’s worth of Chick-fil-A.
“We are expecting anywhere from 200 to 250 people to the event,” said franchise operator Brad Arton, who has been working with Chick-fil-A for 25 years. Video: Customers campout
After spending 24 hours camping out in a parking lot, the winners received their free meal certificates this morning at 6 a.m.
Many came prepared to spend the night in the parking lot of the restaurant.
“We brought a tent and have a couple of sleeping bags,” said Christopher Lebeuf, volunteer coordinator for Hospice Compass, on Wednesday. “The goal was to stay up all night, but we will see how long we day.”
The parking lot took on a tailgate-like atmosphere with dancing, food, games and prizes for the campers to celebrate the new restaurant opening.
“The people at Chick-fil-A have had a lot of activities and things for us to do,” Lebeuf said. “They have had a lot of stuff for the kids like Simon Says, and they’ve got a Bingo board set up, grow.”
The store opened for business this morning at 6 a.m., and Arton said he is excited to see how it does.
“We are thrilled to continue expanding and responding to the requests of our loyal customers to bring Chick-fil-A closer to where they live,” said Dan T. Cathy, president and COO of Chick-fil-A, Inc., in a news release. “As we enter new regions and grow in established markets, we are grateful for our outstanding franchised operators and their team members who provide the freshly prepared food and excellent service on both sides of the