30 May 2017

Dining:

Welcome Chick-fil-A to the Neighborhood OFFICIALLY 6/1

Owner/operator Peter Choi in front of the new Chick-fil-A franchise, set to open Thursday 6/1. Photo by María Helena Carey

Atlanta-based fast-food chain Chick-fil-A will officially open its doors to the Capitol Hill public on Thursday, June 1st. It will be taking over the space left behind by the former Checkers Drive-In at 1401 Maryland Avenue NE.

Tomorrow, Wednesday May 31, there will be a special opening day store ritual: The first 100 eligible people to show up to the store, starting at 5:45 a.m., will get to go on a special off-site “road trip” that lasts all day and will also receive a year’s worth of Chick-fil-A meals. (By the way, “eligible” means that you’re over 18 and you are a neighbor to the store.)

The main difference from the old franchise, aside from the food, is the fact that the Chick-fil-A is almost entirely a kitchen. Since the building is about 1500 square feet, which is a very small footprint compared to the average Chick-fil-A –which clocks in at around 5000 square feet– the local franchise will be exclusively a drive-though and walk-up window, according to owner-operator Peter Choi. There will be limited seating in the outdoor area facing Maryland Avenue NE, as was the case when Checkers was the tenant. Most of the square footage is devoted to an extremely organized operation that works with fresh ingredients only. The drive-through wraps around the whole building, with carhops taking orders and managing traffic. There will also be a walk-up window to handle orders to be picked-up on foot, or at one of two dedicated parking spots. Patrons are encouraged to use the Chick-fil-A app to streamline the process.

Choi and Chick-fil-A also want to be good neighbors. In addition to wanting to keep the outside areas as manicured and clean as they currently are, they also want to make local schools aware of their Spirit Nights: evenings when part of the proceeds go to support a specific school.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Chick-fil-A! We may not agree 100% on politics (though this article makes a good case for forgiving and forgetting), but we can totally get behind your delicious chicken and kale salad, and your cows are super cute.


What's trending

Comments are closed.

Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com
Add to Flipboard Magazine.