Chick-fil-A Hires New Manager; IWU ALUM

Chick-fil-A Opening Newest Stand-Alone Restaurant in Metro Indianapolis Dec. 14; First 100 Adults in Line at New Restaurant to Win Free Chick-fil-A for a Year

Chick-fil-A President to Camp Overnight at New Restaurant on US Hwy 31 in Westfield

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — (MARKET WIRE) — December 13, 2006 — Metro Indianapolis’s newest Chick-fil-A restaurant, complete with a drive-thru service, a full breakfast menu and playground, will open Dec. 14, when Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy will help award $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 given away to each of the first 100 adults, age 18 and older with identification, at the new restaurant at 14647 US Hwy. 31 North in Westfield. The line can begin forming up to 24 hours prior to the opening, with the prizes being awarded on Dec. 14 between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. The restaurant will open at 6:30 a.m.

"We’ve given away more than $4.2 million in free Chick-fil-A food since we launched the ‘First 100 Fans’ promotion in 2003 to celebrate each grand opening," said Cathy, son of the chain’s founder Truett Cathy, who will spend the night outside with the crowd. "It’s our way of thanking our raving fans who have supported Chick-fil-A and who continue to show their devotion by camping out in all kinds of weather conditions year-round, all across the country."

With overnight campers often arriving as early as 24 hours in advance and coming from hours away, the parking lot fills with tents, lawn chairs, and TVs while the crowd enjoys entertainment, games, food and even a midnight Chick-fil-A Icedream® party. "It becomes a big overnight tailgating party," said Cathy, who has camped out at more than 60 grand openings.

Troy Buchanan has been selected as the franchised operator of the new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Westfield. Buchanan, who holds bachelors and masters degrees from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, worked in human resources before joining Chick-fil-A. He and his wife, Jill, have a son, Clayton, and a daughter, Claire, and are looking forward to opening a stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant in their community.

"I’m very excited to be opening Westfield‘s new Chick-fil-A restaurant," Buchanan said. "We know our customers will enjoy the freshly prepared food and ‘my pleasure’ customer service."

The interior warm colors and wood accents of the new Westfield Chick-fil-A create a casual dining atmosphere that customers will appreciate, along with the conveniences of drive-thru service. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

QSR Magazine recently released its 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, the chain continued to show strong individual car speeds in the drive-thru with an average time of 44 seconds.

Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy is marking several milestones this year, including the 60th year anniversary of the opening of his first restaurant, the Dwarf Grill® in Hapeville, Ga., from which the Chick-fil-A chain was launched. Also, the third generation entered the Chick-fil-A business with Cathy’s grandson becoming a restaurant Operator in St. Petersburg, Fla. in January. A second grandson will open a Chick-fil-A restaurant in San Marcos, Calif., on Dec. 6.

$2 Billion In Sales Reached

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc., the nation’s second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain (based on sales), reached $2 billion in sales in late November for the first time. Currently with more than 1,280 restaurants in 37 states and Washington D.C., the company reported 2005 system-wide sales of more than $1.975 billion, resulting in a 13.1 percent increase over 2004 and a positive 5.87 percent same-store sales performance. The chain will add more than 72 locations in 2006, including 63 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.

 

Contact:

Brenda Green

Chick-fil-A, Inc.

Email Contact

404.765.8064

404.272.9381 (cell)

Cindy Chapman

CP Communications Inc.

Email Contact

678.546.0494

678.858.1325 (cell)

SOURCE:  Chick-fil-A