Chick-fil-A Opening in Laguna Hills on July 26
Orange County’s 15th Chick-fil-A Restaurant Opening July 26 in Laguna Hills;
First 100 in Line at New Restaurant to Win Free Year’s Supply of Chick-fil-A
Stand-Alone Restaurant on El Toro Road Will Create 70 New Jobs
LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. (July 26, 2012) – Eight years after kicking off its California expansion by opening its first stand-alone restaurants in Chino Hills and Irvine, Chick-fil-AR will celebrate the opening of its 15th Orange County and 49th California location on July 26th by giving away a free year’s supply of Chick-fil-A to the first 100 adults in line grand opening morning at its new Laguna Hills restaurant.
Chick-fil-A’s “First 100 Celebration” quickly became a hallmark of each grand opening when the chain first held the event in Arizona in 2003.
More than 18 hours before the restaurant opened, the first person arrived and asked where to get in line. Since then, the chain has given away more than $16 million in free food at almost 600 grand openings. The parking lot parties attract Chick-fil-A’s loyal customers who come from around the block and across the country equipped with couches, TVs, computers, tents and other gear. Even extreme weather conditions do not dampen the enthusiasm of the participants who often arrive more than 24 hours in advance.
Californians will get their latest chance to participate at 24011 El Toro Road. in Laguna Hills where the chain will award a one-year supply of free Chick-fil-AR Meals (52 certificates) to each of the first 100 adults in line, ages 18 and older with identification – a total of more than $26,000 in free food. The line officially opens at 6 a.m., Wednesday, July 25, with the free meal cards being awarded Thursday, July 26, about 6 a.m. The restaurant will open for business immediately thereafter. If there are more than 100 people by 6 a.m. on Wednesday, July 25, all 100 spots will be determined by raffle. For complete rules, see http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/First-100.
Laguna Hills’ new Chick-fil-A restaurant brings with it 60 new jobs and features the chain’s latest interior and kitchen design, allowing team members to quickly serve customers who dine in, drive-through or request catered orders for larger off-site events. The restaurant’s design and capacity illustrates the historic shift in consumer habits from 1967 when S.
Truett Cathy opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant inside Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta, to 2011 when the chain opened its 1,000th stand-alone restaurant with the majority of business now coming from customers on the go.
After operating in a few malls throughout California for many years, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A launched its expansion into the state in 2008, building stand-alone restaurants first primarily in Orange County and the Inland Empire. Since then the chain has grown to 49 locations from San Diego to Sacramento and opened a West Coast corporate office in Irvine.
The Laguna Hills Chick-fil-A is the third of five new Orange County restaurants opening this year, following new locations in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Two more restaurants, in Buena Park and Westminster, are expected to open within the next two months. In all, Chick-fil-A will open
11 new restaurants in California in 2012, out of a total of 96 locations the chain plans to open across the country, creating nearly 7,000 new jobs.
Despite the challenging economy, Chick-fil-A continued to grow in 2011, reporting record-setting annual sales of more than $4 billion, representing a 13 percent increase over 2010 and the 44th consecutive year of sales growth since the company began in 1967.
“We are thrilled to open our 15th Orange County restaurant as we continue to grow across the state and the country this year,” said Dan T. Cathy, president and COO, Chick-fil-A, Inc. “Our outstanding franchised Operators and their team members provide both the freshly prepared food and excellent service on both sides of the counter that has our customers asking us to bring Chick-fil-A closer to where they live.”
Founder Truett Cathy perfected his recipe for a boneless breast-of-chicken sandwich while operating the Dwarf Grill which he opened in Hapeville, Ga., in 1946. The sandwich became the signature menu item when he opened the first Chick-fil-A, and it continues to be the hallmark product of the chain as it has grown to 1,639 restaurants in 39 states and Washington D.C.
Franchised Chick-fil-A Operator David Sykora has been selected to operate the new stand-alone restaurant in Laguna Hills. Sykora, a Baylor University graduate with a degree in business entrepreneurship, spent several years in sales and management before joining Chick-fil-A. He and his wife, Jessica, have two sons and are excited to open Laguna Hills’ first stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant.
“Chick-fil-A has come a long way since Truett opened that first tiny Chick-fil-A restaurant in an Atlanta mall 45 years ago, but one thing has remained constant – our focus on providing top quality food in a friendly neighborhood environment,” said Sykora. “My team members and I share that same commitment at our new restaurant and can’t wait to welcome and serve our new guests.”
The new restaurant seats 107 with additional outdoor seating and has warm colors and wood accents and convenient, award-winning drive-thru service.
The new restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., serving a full breakfast menu until 10:30 a.m.
Chick-fil-A offers a completely trans fat-free menu and was among the first national fast-food restaurant chains to do so. This year the chain added grilled Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets as a Kids’ Meal option which, when paired with a fresh fruit cup or Buddy FruitsR Pure Blended Fruit To Go applesauce, is one of the most nutritious children’s meal combinations offered among any major fast-food chain.
To continue meeting a variety of customers’ menu needs, the chain recently launched a new line of desserts that include a revamped Fudge Brownie without nuts, baked fresh daily Chocolate Chunk Cookie, and an IcedreamR Sundae that can also be coupled with the brownie or cookie. And for a limited time, the chain brought back its Peach milkshake this summer.
Chick-fil-A continues to win industry accolades including coming out on top of the 2011 Top 10 Excellent Large Fast Food Chains survey by Sandelman & Associates. The food service consumer research firm measured responses from almost 108,000 quick service customers about food quality, customer service and restaurant environment. In addition, Men’s Health “Eat This, Not That”
2012 edition again gave the chain high marks (A-) and named it one of the top two restaurants providing healthier menu options.
Chick-fil-A topped large chain category in Zagat’s 2011 National Fast Food Restaurant Survey that measured the opinions of 6,000 consumers covering 103 chains. With each chain being rated on its quality of food, service and facilities, the survey scored Chick-fil-A first in service and the chargrilled sandwich categories; and second in the areas of food, best drive-thru, most child friendly, and facilities. In 2011, Chick-fil-A also received Consumer Reports Top Chicken Chain for food and service.
For more information on the first Laguna Hills Chick-fil-A restaurant visit www.cfarestaurant.com/eltororoad.
About Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is the nation’s second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain (based on sales), with 1,639 restaurants in 39 states and Washington D.C. In 2012, Chick-fil-A will add 96 new locations around the country, including 79 stand-alone restaurants, two mall restaurants, and 15 licensed locations. 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 HouseR and Truett’s GrillR full-service restaurants, and through licensed outlets in college campuses, hospitals, airports, businesses and industrial sites. Chick-fil-A reached $4 billion in annual sales in 2011, reporting a 7 percent same-store sales increase and a 13 percent increase over 2010 overall sales performance. The record sales marked the 44th consecutive year of sales growth since the company began in 1967. More information about Chick-fil-A is available on the chain’s websites, located at www.chick-fil-a.com/pressroom , or through Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChickfilA or Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ChickfilA.
Stand-Alone Restaurant on El Toro Road Will Create 70 New Jobs
LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. – Eight years after kicking off its California expansion by opening its first stand-alone restaurants in Chino Hills and Irvine, Chick-fil-AR will celebrate the opening of its 15th Orange County and 49th California location on July 26th by giving away a free year’s supply of Chick-fil-A to the first 100 adults in line grand opening morning at its new Laguna Hills restaurant.
Chick-fil-A’s “First 100 Celebration” quickly became a hallmark of each grand opening when the chain first held the event in Arizona in 2003.More than 18 hours before the restaurant opened, the first person arrived and asked where to get in line. Since then, the chain has given away more than $16 million in free food at almost 600 grand openings. The parking lot parties attract Chick-fil-A’s loyal customers who come from around the block and across the country equipped with couches, TVs, computers, tents and other gear. Even extreme weather conditions do not dampen the enthusiasm of the participants who often arrive more than 24 hours in advance.
Californians will get their latest chance to participate at 24011 El Toro Road. in Laguna Hills where the chain will award a one-year supply of free Chick-fil-AR Meals (52 certificates) to each of the first 100 adults in line, ages 18 and older with identification – a total of more than $26,000 in free food. The line officially opens at 6 a.m., Wednesday, July 25, with the free meal cards being awarded Thursday, July 26, about 6 a.m. The restaurant will open for business immediately thereafter. If there are more than 100 people by 6 a.m. on Wednesday, July 25, all 100 spots will be determined by raffle. For complete rules, see http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/First-100.
Laguna Hills’ new Chick-fil-A restaurant brings with it 60 new jobs and features the chain’s latest interior and kitchen design, allowing team members to quickly serve customers who dine in, drive-through or request catered orders for larger off-site events. The restaurant’s design and capacity illustrates the historic shift in consumer habits from 1967 when S.Truett Cathy opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant inside Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta, to 2011 when the chain opened its 1,000th stand-alone restaurant with the majority of business now coming from customers on the go.
After operating in a few malls throughout California for many years, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A launched its expansion into the state in 2008, building stand-alone restaurants first primarily in Orange County and the Inland Empire. Since then the chain has grown to 49 locations from San Diego to Sacramento and opened a West Coast corporate office in Irvine.
The Laguna Hills Chick-fil-A is the third of five new Orange County restaurants opening this year, following new locations in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Two more restaurants, in Buena Park and Westminster, are expected to open within the next two months. In all, Chick-fil-A will open11 new restaurants in California in 2012, out of a total of 96 locations the chain plans to open across the country, creating nearly 7,000 new jobs.Despite the challenging economy, Chick-fil-A continued to grow in 2011, reporting record-setting annual sales of more than $4 billion, representing a 13 percent increase over 2010 and the 44th consecutive year of sales growth since the company began in 1967.
“We are thrilled to open our 15th Orange County restaurant as we continue to grow across the state and the country this year,” said Dan T. Cathy, president and COO, Chick-fil-A, Inc. “Our outstanding franchised Operators and their team members provide both the freshly prepared food and excellent service on both sides of the counter that has our customers asking us to bring Chick-fil-A closer to where they live.”
Founder Truett Cathy perfected his recipe for a boneless breast-of-chicken sandwich while operating the Dwarf Grill which he opened in Hapeville, Ga., in 1946. The sandwich became the signature menu item when he opened the first Chick-fil-A, and it continues to be the hallmark product of the chain as it has grown to 1,639 restaurants in 39 states and Washington D.C.
Franchised Chick-fil-A Operator David Sykora has been selected to operate the new stand-alone restaurant in Laguna Hills. Sykora, a Baylor University graduate with a degree in business entrepreneurship, spent several years in sales and management before joining Chick-fil-A. He and his wife, Jessica, have two sons and are excited to open Laguna Hills’ first stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant.
“Chick-fil-A has come a long way since Truett opened that first tiny Chick-fil-A restaurant in an Atlanta mall 45 years ago, but one thing has remained constant – our focus on providing top quality food in a friendly neighborhood environment,” said Sykora. “My team members and I share that same commitment at our new restaurant and can’t wait to welcome and serve our new guests.”
The new restaurant seats 107 with additional outdoor seating and has warm colors and wood accents and convenient, award-winning drive-thru service.The new restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., serving a full breakfast menu until 10:30 a.m.
Chick-fil-A offers a completely trans fat-free menu and was among the first national fast-food restaurant chains to do so. This year the chain added grilled Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets as a Kids’ Meal option which, when paired with a fresh fruit cup or Buddy FruitsR Pure Blended Fruit To Go applesauce, is one of the most nutritious children’s meal combinations offered among any major fast-food chain.
To continue meeting a variety of customers’ menu needs, the chain recently launched a new line of desserts that include a revamped Fudge Brownie without nuts, baked fresh daily Chocolate Chunk Cookie, and an IcedreamR Sundae that can also be coupled with the brownie or cookie. And for a limited time, the chain brought back its Peach milkshake this summer.
Chick-fil-A continues to win industry accolades including coming out on top of the 2011 Top 10 Excellent Large Fast Food Chains survey by Sandelman & Associates. The food service consumer research firm measured responses from almost 108,000 quick service customers about food quality, customer service and restaurant environment. In addition, Men’s Health “Eat This, Not That”2012 edition again gave the chain high marks (A-) and named it one of the top two restaurants providing healthier menu options.
Chick-fil-A topped large chain category in Zagat’s 2011 National Fast Food Restaurant Survey that measured the opinions of 6,000 consumers covering 103 chains. With each chain being rated on its quality of food, service and facilities, the survey scored Chick-fil-A first in service and the chargrilled sandwich categories; and second in the areas of food, best drive-thru, most child friendly, and facilities. In 2011, Chick-fil-A also received Consumer Reports Top Chicken Chain for food and service.
For more information on the first Laguna Hills Chick-fil-A restaurant visit www.cfarestaurant.com/eltororoad.
About Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is the nation’s second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain (based on sales), with 1,639 restaurants in 39 states and Washington D.C. In 2012, Chick-fil-A will add 96 new locations around the country, including 79 stand-alone restaurants, two mall restaurants, and 15 licensed locations. 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 HouseR and Truett’s GrillR full-service restaurants, and through licensed outlets in college campuses, hospitals, airports, businesses and industrial sites. Chick-fil-A reached $4 billion in annual sales in 2011, reporting a 7 percent same-store sales increase and a 13 percent increase over 2010 overall sales performance. The record sales marked the 44th consecutive year of sales growth since the company began in 1967. More information about Chick-fil-A is available on the chain’s websites, located at www.chick-fil-a.com/pressroom , or through Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChickfilA or Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ChickfilA.
