Reprint from the Progress Times - June 22, 2007
©Progress Times 2007 - All Rights Reserved

Chick-fil-A opens at Sharyland Crossing
First 100 customers to win Chick-fil-A for a year

Chick-fil-A will open its first Mission-area restaurant at Sharyland Towne Crossing, near the new H-E-B Plus! on Shary Road and Expressway 83, on Thursday, June 28.

To celebrate the opening the restaurant will give away a one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A Combo Meals (52 coupons) to each of the first 100 adults, age 18 and older with identification, in line at the new stand-alone restaurant at 2501 East Expressway 83. The line can begin forming up to 24 hours prior to the opening, with the prizes being given away on June 28 between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. The restaurant will open immediately afterward.

“Chick-fil-A’s raving fans have turned our grand openings into overnight tailgate parties, often arriving 24 hours in advance with tents, TVs, sleeping bags, games, computers and other gear to spend the night,” said Chick-fil-A Inc. President Dan Cathy, son of chain founder Truett Cathy.

“When we started the First 100 Fans promotion in 2003, we never could have imagined we’d give away nearly $5 million in free food to raving fans who have camped out in all kinds of weather conditions to win free Chick-fil-A for a year,” said Cathy, who regularly attends and camps out overnight in parking lots.

Raving fans who camp out at a grand opening are after the original Chick-fil-A boneless breast of chicken sandwich, which Truett Cathy invented in his 24-hour Dwarf Grill® diner near Atlanta in the early 1960s. The sandwich, with its signature pickle slices, became so popular that Cathy opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall in 1967. The opening launched Chick-fil-A, today the second-largest chicken restaurant chain in the country with more than 1,317 locations in 37 states and Washington, D.C.

Ted Venecia has been selected as the franchised operator of the new Chick-fil-A. A graduate of Mission High School, Venecia will be returning to his hometown with his wife, Cindy, and their two daughters. He attended Texas Southmost College and Pan American University. Cindy is originally from McAllen.

Venecia started working for Chick-fil-A as a cook at the La Plaza Mall location in 1995. By 1998, he became a store operator in the Houston area. When asked about how it felt to be coming back to the Valley, he said, “We’re excited. We’re happy to be back home.”

"For 40 years, the Chick-fil-A legacy has grown to mean award-winning freshly prepared food and ‘my pleasure’ customer service," said Venecia. "My team looks forward to continuing that tradition at our new location."

Additionally, Chick-fil-A stands out as perhaps the only franchised restaurant that is always closed on Sunday, in all locations.

The award-winning drive-thru service offers a convenient way for Chick-fil-A customers to get their freshly prepared food on the go. The new restaurant will be open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., serving a full breakfast menu until 10:30 a.m.

Consumers, who recently participated in Zagat’s first fast food survey, scored Chick-fil-A the highest in the restaurant chicken category and also in the service category. QSR magazine released its 2006 scores for the Best Drive-Thru in America Survey with the Chick-fil-A chain’s overall composite scores placing it in the lead – making it four out of the past five years that the chain has earned top rankings. Consumers indicated that accuracy and speed were some of the most important performance areas. Chick-fil-A was number one in the accuracy category with a 98 percent score; and despite Chick-fil-A adding four flavors of handspun milkshakes to its menu in May 2006, the chain continued to show strong individual speeds in the drive-thru with an average time of 44 seconds.

The new Chick-fil-A restaurant will offer a full breakfast menu from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. featuring Chick-fil-A’s popular chicken biscuit and Fresh Fruit Cup.

– Breakfast Burrito – a soft flour tortilla filled with spicy chargrilled chicken or sausage, scrambled eggs, onions and peppers and a blend of cheese.

– Bagel Sandwich -- featuring a breakfast portion of Chick-fil-A’s boneless breast of chicken served with a slice of American cheese and folded eggs on a toasted honey oat bagel.

– Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis™ -- the chain’s popular bite-sized Chick-fil-A nuggets nestled in a warm yeast roll lightly brushed with a honey butter spread.

– Cinnamon Clusters -- fresh-baked mini swirls filled with sweet cinnamon, served warm with a creamy vanilla icing.

– Café Blends Coffees – Three custom-roasted premium coffee blends.

Lunch and dinner will be served until 10 p.m. with an award-winning menu that includes the original boneless breast of chicken sandwich and a new line of hand-spun Milkshakes that are available in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and cookies & cream.

Chick-fil-A is celebrating the 40th anniversary of founder Truett Cathy’s first Chick-fil-A restaurant – located in the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta – as well the chain reaching $2 billion in sales for the first time in 2006.

Chick-fil-A encourages its employees to continue their education by providing Leadership Scholarships, which have amounted to almost $22 million nationwide since the program began in 1973.

If a Chick-fil-A craving strikes you on Sunday, you’ll have to wait until Monday to satisfy it as all .

Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays to provide employees with a day to rest and to worship if they choose.