Fort Worth residents will soon be able to, as those famous cows on highway billboards often say, “Eat Mor Chikin!”
Chick-fil-A is kicking off an eight-restaurant Dallas-Fort Worth area expansion in 2018 beginning with the March 8 grand openings of a new stand-alone location in Hudson Oaks, a news release said. The 95 Hudson Oaks Drive location will be opened by Philip Smith, who has been waiting for this day for a long time.
Smith has wanted to become an Chick-fil-A Operator since 2002 when, at age 14, he was introduced to the company by his sister who was a team member at a local restaurant. She then encouraged him to join her working in the fast food joint, which he did.
Later on, Smith was a recipient of a Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship and went on to earn a degree in marketing from Baylor University.
As his passion for good chicken and good service and his desire to make a difference in his community continued to grow, he began to move up the restaurant’s ranks.
In 2013, his dedication paid off and he was named franchise owner of the Weatherford location. As he now opens the new Hudson Oaks location, he will continue to operate the Weatherford location and is excited to do his part in the chain’s legacy.
The Hudson Oaks restaurant is expected to be complete by summer’s end, the grand opening will feature the opportunity for up to 100 adults to earn free Chick-fil-A for a year through a traditional First 100 campout that will take place in the restaurant’s parking lot up to 24 hours before the opening.
The Chick-fil-A for a year prize includes 52 meals with each consisting of a Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, medium Waffle Potato Fries and a medium beverage.
If there are 100 or fewer chicken-loving customers on-site when the line officially opens at 6 a.m. March 7, the first 100 adults through the door on March 8 will win a year of free Chick-fil-A meals.
However, where would be the drama if there wasn’t another way to earn the prize?
If more than 100 people are on-site when the line opens, a drawing will be held to randomly select the “First 100.” In order to secure their spot, those chosen will be required to camp out until around 5:45 a.m. the next morning when the awarding will take place.
The community event is only open to guests in local zip codes, and to win the prize participants must be 18 years of age or older and must show an ID. For a list of zipcodes and accepted identiication, please visit https://thechickenwire.chick-fil-a.com/News/Future-Openings.
The news release said Smith is also inviting his First 100 guests and restaurant customers to participate in a children’s book drive during grand opening week to benefit local youth organizations.
In addition to bringing a year of joy to the bellies of the 100 winners and books to the local community, the new restaurant locations are expecting to create 180 jobs. For more information about the Hudson Oaks Chick-fil-A, please visit facebook.com/cfahudsonoaks.