Richmond's Newest Chick-fil-A Stand-Alone Restaurant Opening Nov. 20

Chick-fil-A, Just Named Best Drive-Thru in America, Will Give Away Free Year's Supply to First 100 in Line

Chick-fil-A®, newly named best drive-thru in the country in a national industry study, will reward those willing to wait in line for Richmond's newest stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant opening on Nov. 20 by giving away $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® Meals (52 coupons) will be awarded to each of the first 100 adults, age 18 and older with identification, at the new stand-alone restaurant located at 4443 S. Laburnum Ave. The line can begin forming up to 24 hours prior to the opening, with the prizes being given away on Nov. 20 sometime between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. The restaurant will open afterward.

The First 100 Fans promotion was launched in 2003 to mark the opening of the chain's first stand-alone restaurant in Arizona. Five years later, the event continues to draw Chick-fil-A raving fans from all over the country. Armed with tents, computers, games and even swimming pools, campers turn the grand opening event into an all-night tailgate party.

"When we started the First 100 Fans promotion we were stunned when someone arrived 18 hours in advance and asked where he could wait in line," said Chick-fil-A, Inc. President Dan Cathy, who has camped out at dozens of openings. "Five years later, we've given away more than $8.5 million in free Chick-fil-A food across the country to raving fans who've braved snow, wind, rain and triple-digit temperatures to help us celebrate the opening of each new Chick-fil-A."

Overseeing the newest Richmond Chick-fil-A will be Greg Williams, who has been selected as the franchised Operator. Williams will employ approximately 65 team members at the new White Oak Village location. He graduated from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia with a degree in business administration. Williams and his wife, Christine, have six children and are eager to bring the new Chick-fil-A to the community.

"Since its first chain restaurant opened more than 40 years ago, Chick-fil-A has become synonymous with freshly prepared food and 'my pleasure' customer service," said Williams. "My team and I are eager to continue that legacy at Richmond's newest stand-alone location."

Chick-fil-A was recently named Best Drive-Thru in America by QSR magazine after a three-month industry study of 25 quick-service restaurant chains in all 50 states. This is the fifth time Chick-fil-A has topped the annual industry survey which measures order accuracy, speed of service, menu board appearance and speaker clarity.

Chick-fil-A, which had the busiest drive-thru with an average of more than three cars in the lane, topped the competition in the category consumers reporting caring about most -- order accuracy. According to the newly released data, Chick-fil-A drive-thru orders placed during the lunch and dinner test periods were accurate 97 percent of the time, an improvement of nearly two percentage points from 2007 when Chick-fil-A was again top in order accuracy.

Helping Chick-fil-A get those orders correct was its speaker clarity which the study found to be best in the quick-service industry. And despite having the busiest drive-thru, the study found that Chick-fil-A's average service time was just under three minutes per vehicle. In all, the study reviewed almost 6,000 orders for accuracy and more than 11,500 service times when comparing the various chains.

The Chick-fil-A at White Oak Village features a 4,227 square-foot interior that seats 134 and has warm colors and wood accents as well as an indoor play area for children that includes an interactive section for toddlers. Chick-fil-A's award-winning drive-thru offers a convenient way for Chick-fil-A customers to get their freshly prepared food on the go. The new restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., serving a full breakfast menu until 10:30 a.m.

Chick-fil-A recently announced it has eliminated artificial trans fat from its entire menu and is among the first national quick-service restaurant chains to offer a complete menu -- from entrées down to condiments -- with zero grams of trans fat.

The menu at the new restaurant also will include several enhancements rolled out chain wide in May. These include a new Chick-fil-A® Chargrilled and Fruit Salad with Harvest Nut Granola topping, Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips® that are 50 percent larger than the previous offerings and are complemented by a new proprietary dipping sauce called Chick-fil-A Sauce(TM), Chick-fil-A® Chicken Salad Sandwich served on a new premium wheatberry bread with green leaf lettuce, and Cool Wraps selections come in a new multi-grain flatbread.

About Chick-fil-A, Inc.

Truett Cathy developed the original Chick-fil-A boneless breast of chicken sandwich in his 24-hour Dwarf House® diner near Atlanta in the early 1960s, opening his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall in 1967. The chain has grown to more than 1,415 locations in 37 states and Washington, D.C. Chick-fil-A, Inc. reached more than $2.64 billion in sales in 2007, resulting in a 16.09 percent increase over the chain's 2006 performance and included an 8.47 percent same-store sales increase. It is the 40th consecutive year of sales growth for the chain which plans to add 88 locations this year, including 70 stand-alone restaurants. Information about Chick-fil-A is available on the chain's websites, located at www.chick-fil-a.com.