New Chick-fil-A opens in Spanish Fork
People camping out play a game outside a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Spanish Fork on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. The first 100 people at the restaurant will receive free meals to be used at any of the chain stores. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
Patrons camp out outside a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Spanish Fork on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. The first 100 people at the restaurant will receive free meals to be used at any of the chain stores. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
Karma and Mike Farrer play cards while waiting in a tent outside a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Spanish Fork on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. The first 100 people at the restaurant will receive free meals to be used at any of the chain stores. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
Patrons camp out outside a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Spanish Fork on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. The first 100 people at the restaurant will receive free meals to be used at any of the chain stores. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
The day before the opening of the new Chick-fil-A in the south part of the county was a festive one for many local residents Wednesday.
The Spanish Fork Chick-fil-A location at 825 E. Highway 6 opens Thursday, and is the one of six locations in Utah County, and the only one in the southern part of the county.
“Chick-fil-A chose Spanish Fork because there really wasn’t any chicken down that way, and the location is ideal,” said Adriana Desiderio, spokesperson for the company. “It’s a stand-alone with a drive-thru right off the freeway exit there.”
The new location is anticipated to creates almost 100 new jobs, and the 4,800-square-foot restaurant can seat 128 inside and 16 outside, with dual drive-thru ordering lanes to service busy customers.
By 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, about 60 people were already lined up to get their spot in the Chick-Fil-A “First 100” promotion that always accompanies each new restaurant opening. The first 100 adult customers in line will receive a gift card loaded with 52 free Chick-fil-A meals — more than $32,000 in free food, and the equivalent of a year’s supply. In addition, the location held a celebration with activities throughout Wednesday, and will continue the celebration through the end of day Thursday.
Scott Rasband, the Spanish Fork Chick-fil-A owner, is also doing a book drive through the weekend. He is collecting the books to donate to Mountainland Head Start. Rasband, who has lived in Utah County for 12 years and graduated with a business degree from Utah State University, previously held an executive position in the medical device sales profession. Although his talents in customer service earned him industry recognition and awards, the time spent away from his family was always a major concern. Rasband wanted to change his career to have more time with his family and was selected from among more than 24,000 annual applications to become the franchise owner of the new Spanish Fork location.
“Personalized customer service and freshly prepared food have been the hallmarks of Chick-fil-A since the day founder Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant,” said Rasband. “My team members and I are committed to those same ideas as we welcome our guests to our new Spanish Fork restaurant and provide them with a remarkable experience.”
The first Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in 1967 inside an Atlanta mall and the chain has grown to more than 1,945 restaurants in 42 states and Washington D.C.