Chick-fil-A fans, Sept. 16 is opening day for first suburban location
Chick-fil-A fans, get your sleeping bag ready. The Atlanta-based restaurateur announced its first suburban location will open Sept. 16 in Aurora.
The fast-food chain, which announced its launch into this market three months ago, has a loyal following and will continue a tradition of holding a celebration on opening day that drives customers to line up and even sleep outside the eatery.
The first 100 adults in line will receive a one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A meals (52 certificates).
The line will open at 6 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15. The free meal cards will be given out at 6 a.m. on opening day. The celebration routine started six years ago and has attracted large crowds in other cities.
The first eatery of its kind in this market will operate at 4435 Fox Valley Center Drive. Doug Lockwood has been selected as the franchise operator.
Plans call for continued growth for the company with 78 new stores to open this year, including two others in this market. Openings are scheduled in Orland Park in October and Wheaton in November. In 2011, the company said, it plans three more restaurants in this area.
The closest Chick-fil-A location is in the Regency Mall in Racine, Wis. Others are located on business and college campuses in Charleston, Edwardsville, Bloomington, Carbondale and Urbana.
The chain has an intense following. Area residents have used websites, online petitions and social media to attempt to influence the chain to open locations in their region.
Libertyville resident Jim Morgan is hoping the chicken restaurant comes to his Lake County town. Moran, a Libertyville High School graduate, launched a Facebook page and grass roots campaign hoping popular eatery will make Libertyville its home.
The family-owned chain, a lot smaller than McDonald's, is tied to its Southern roots. The company's founder, Southern Baptist Truett Cathy, declared all Chick-fil-A stores would be closed on Sundays, a practice that continues to this day.