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Des Moines' First Chick-fil-A Restaurant Opens Oct. 13 in Jordan Creek Town Center; Chick-fil-A Operator to Match Customers' Hurricane Donations Up to $1,000

A Free One-Year Supply of Chick-fil-A Being Awarded to First 100 People in Line at New Location

Des Moines residents can show their excitement for the Oct. 13 opening of the city's first Chick-fil-A restaurant by making Hurricane Katrina donations with the new location matching up to $1,000. In return, the Operator will be giving away a free year supply of Chick-fil-A to the first 100 people in line at the new restaurant.

The new Chick-fil-A restaurant is located at the Jordan Creek Town Center where it will be accepting hurricane donations for the American Red Cross from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during grand opening weekend from Oct. 13 through Oct. 15.

"Many of our Chick-fil-A team members and Operators have been impacted by the hurricane along with thousands of others who have lost everything," said Garry Brumels who will operate the new location. "At Chick-fil-A, we are strongly encouraged to provide second mile service and be involved in the community. What better way to enter Des Moines with our first restaurant than to show our support to the local efforts of raising funds for the hurricane victims."

The Oct. 13 opening of the new Chick-fil-A restaurant also will include the awarding of a free year supply of Chick-fil-A combo meals (52 coupons) to the first 100 people in line by 8 a.m. The line will form on the south side of the mall between Century Theaters and Champps Restaurant. Those 18 years and older can line up as early as 9 p.m. on Wednesday, with the year supplies being awarded on Thursday sometime between 8 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. The restaurant will officially open for business at 9 a.m.

As Operator of the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Des Moines, Brumels brings more than 27 years of food industry experience including more than 15 years as a Chick-fil-A Operator. His wife Jana and five kids are transferring from the Chick-fil-A location in Sioux City, Iowa. Brumels graduated from Northwestern College with a degree in business and education.

"I am excited to introduce the original boneless breast of Chicken Sandwich to Des Moines," said Brumels. "They will finally be able to experience first hand our award-winning customer service and menu that consists of the freshest ingredients and products possible."

The new Des Moines restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. and closed Sunday. A limited breakfast menu will be served until 10:30 a.m. and will include the popular chicken biscuit, Chick-fil-A® Chick-n-Minis(TM), the chain's popular bite-sized Chick-fil-A® Nuggets nestled in a warm mini yeast roll lightly coated with a honey butter spread; quarter-sized hash browns, fresh fruit cup and the quick-service industry's first premium line of coffee blends.

Chick-fil-A handles its own menu prep work onsite from filleting and breading the chicken to chopping salads to squeezing lemons for its freshly squeezed lemonade. The lunch and dinner menu includes the original Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich, Chick-fil-A® Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich, Chick-fil-A Nuggets, Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips®, Chick-fil-A Cool Wraps(TM) and a variety of salads and desserts.

From Chick-fil-A's commitment to unparalleled food quality to customer service to employee loyalty, virtually every aspect of the company's operations has received major recognition from national organizations and publications. In the past year alone awards have included:

--  Fast Company magazine's inaugural Customers First Awards, singling out
    Dan Cathy's leadership as a key reason the chain continues to thrive and
    grow while maintaining a close connection with its team members and
    customers. Using a panel of experts and a survey of customers, the magazine
    named Cathy and Chick-fil-A as the winner in its Customer-Centered Leader
    category.
--  For the 11th year out of the past 12, the Consumer Choice in Chains
    Award in the chicken category by Restaurants & Institutions, a leading food
    service industry publication which studied consumer experiences with food
    quality, menu variety, value, and service.
--  Topping the quick-service restaurant competition in the South, ranking
    first in J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Restaurant Satisfaction Study,
    which rated restaurants in environment, meal, service and cost. Receiving
    top ratings in two of the four categories -- meal and service.
    

Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy is credited with inventing the boneless breast of Chicken Sandwich and helping to pioneer in mall food courts. He opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall in 1967. Chick-fil-A's closed-on-Sunday policy also stands out as a rarity in the quick-service restaurant industry. The chain has maintained Sunday as a day off to allow employees to spend time with family and worship if they choose since Cathy founded the company.

Chick-fil-A's commitment to its employees includes a Leadership Scholarship program which has been in place for more than 30 years and reached its 20,000th scholarship milestone this summer. This year the company expects to award nearly $1.2 million in scholarships to restaurant employees, which will amount to more than $20 million by yearend. Chick-fil-A restaurant employees in Iowa have received more than $107,000, with Brumels awarding nearly $47,000 of that alone at his former location in Southern Hills Mall.

Continuing its unprecedented, 37-year run of consecutive sales gains since the chain started in 1967, Chick-fil-A, Inc. reported 2004 system-wide sales of more than $1.7 billion, a 13.8 percent increase over its 2003 figures and a positive 5.2 percent same-store sales increase over the preceding year.

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A is the nation's second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain with more than 1,225 restaurants in 38 states and Washington D.C. The chain expects to build more than 77 locations this year, including 63 free-standing units and two malls such as the one in Des Moines. For more information, visit www.chick-fil-a.com or www.chick-fil-apressroom.com.

Distributed by Market Wire