Benbrook's First Stand-Alone Chick-fil-A Restaurant Opening May 26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brenda Morrow Lydia Huerta
Chick-fil-A, Inc.
CP Communications Inc.
brenda.morrow@chick-fil-a.com
lydiahuerta@cpcommunicationsinc.com
404.765.8064 210.310.6708
Benbrook’s First Stand-Alone Chick-fil-A Restaurant Opening May 26;
First 100 in Line at New Restaurant to Win Free Year’s Supply of Chick-fil-A
New Restaurant in Benbrook Brings 65 New Jobs as Chick-fil-A Continues to Grow Across the Country
BENBROOK, Texas (May 26, 2011) – A quarter century after Chick-fil-A ® grew from its shopping mall locations
to open its first stand-alone restaurant, the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain will continue to make its award-winning drive-thru
service and freshly prepared menu items more convenient when it opens its first Benbrook location on May 26, and will
award a free year’s supply of Chick-fil-A to the first 100 adults in line that morning.
Seven years after it debuted at an Arizona grand opening, Chick-fil-A’s First 100 Celebration ushers in each grand
opening around the country. The parking lot party draws Chick-fil-A’s loyal customers from miles around who come equipped
with couches, TVs, computers, tents and other gear as they count down to the newest restaurant opening. Extreme weather
conditions don’t dampen the enthusiasm of the participants who often arrive more than 24 hours in advance.
A similar scene is expected in Benbrook where Chick-fil-A will award a one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A ® Meals
(52 certificates) to each of the first 100 adults in line, age 18 and older with identification, at the restaurant located at
8800 Benbrook Blvd. The line officially opens at 6 a.m., Wednesday, May 25, with the free meal cards being awarded
Thursday, May 26, sometime between 6 a.m. and 6:10 a.m. The restaurant will open for business immediately thereafter.
If there are more than 100 people by 6 a.m. on Wednesday, May 25, all 100 spots will be determined by a raffle. See
http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/First-100 for complete rules.
The opening of the first stand-alone Chick-fil-A in Benbrook comes 25 years after the chain first moved from the
malls, where it helped to pioneer the in-mall food concept, to the street with the opening of its first stand-alone restaurant
in its hometown of Atlanta in 1986. With 90 restaurant openings planned in 2011, Chick-fil-A will reach 1,000 stand-alone
locations in addition to the restaurants it operates in shopping malls and at licensed locations such as universities and airports.
Continuing to expand despite the country’s economic challenges, Chick-fil-A in 2010 opened 80 stand-alone and
in-line restaurants, creating more than 4,500 new jobs, and expanded into metro Chicago where restaurants opened to
record-breaking sales. The chain anticipates creating another 5,000 new jobs in 2011.
After reaching $3 billion in sales for the first time in 2009, Chick-fil-A continued the positive trend in 2010 reporting
that sales topped $3.58 billion. Marking Chick-fil-A’s 43 rd year of consecutive growth, last year’s sales represented an 11.37
percent overall and 5.92 percent same-store performance over the chain’s sales performance the previous year.
“We are thrilled to continue expanding and responding to the requests of our loyal customers to bring Chick-fil-A
closer to where they live,” said Dan T. Cathy, President and COO, Chick-fil-A, Inc. “As we enter new regions and grow in
established markets, we are grateful for our outstanding franchised Operators and their team members who provide the
freshly prepared food and excellent service on both sides of the counter. Their efforts keep our customers coming back
again and again.”

The First 100 event rewards and celebrates that loyalty with a 24-hour campout in the restaurant parking lot that
includes music, contests, games, entertainment and, of course, plenty of Chick-fil-A. Since the event began in 2003, Chick-fil-A
has given away more than $13 million in free food at its restaurant grand openings, with nearly $2.3 million slated to be
awarded to First 100 participants in 2011.
This year marks 65 years since founder Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant, the Dwarf Grill, in Hapeville, Ga., in 1946.
It was there that Cathy, who celebrated his 90 th birthday on March 14, perfected his recipe for a boneless-breast-of-chicken sandwich
which became the signature menu item when he opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta in 1967. From the very beginning,
Cathy’s focus on freshly prepared menu items and superior customer service have been hallmarks of the chain as it has grown to
more than 1,500 restaurants in 39 states and Washington D.C.
Jeremy Kirwan continues to extend that legacy as franchised Operator of the new Benbrook restaurant. A Chick-fil-A
Operator of Ridgmar Mall since 2008, Kirwan is excited to bring the first stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant to Benbrook. Jeremy, his
wife Mandy and their two sons look forward to living in Benbrook and connecting with the community.
“Chick-fil-A may have grown to be the second-largest chicken restaurant chain in the country, but our ideals today are
no different than those Truett Cathy exemplified when he started Chick-fil-A 43 years ago,” said Kirwan. “We want our
customers to enjoy our freshly prepared food in the same friendly neighborhood environment he created.”
With the 1986 opening of its first stand-alone restaurant came Chick-fil-A’s drive-thru service which has become an
industry leader, topping studies for six years running. In the most recent QSR magazine Drive-Thru Performance Study,
Chick-fil-A ranked number one overall in the survey which measured order accuracy, speed of service, menu board appearance
and speaker clarity.
The new Benbrook Chick-fil-A features a 4010-square-foot interior that seats 100 with additional outdoor seating and
has warm colors and wood accents and a convenient, award-winning drive-thru while children will enjoy an indoor play area
featuring an interactive section for toddlers. The new restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to
10 p.m., serving a full breakfast menu until 10:30 a.m.
While the core Chick-fil-A menu stays firmly in place, the chain rolled out its most-requested menu addition last
summer when it introduced its Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich across the country. The success of the sandwich led the
chain to spice up its breakfast menu as well, adding its Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Biscuit in January of this year.
Sensitive to rising health concerns, especially among children, Chick-fil-A offers a completely trans fat-free menu and
was among the first national quick-service restaurant chains to do so. At no extra charge, parents may substitute a small fruit
cup for Waffle Potato Fries ® included in Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meals ® .
In the December 2010 issue of Men’s Health, the publication discussed America’s Best and Worst Restaurants. It
named Chick-fil-A as the best chicken chain. While touting the Chick-fil-A’s healthier menu, the magazine stated, “Bottom line:
You won't find a better meal at any fast food joint in the country.”
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, and he opened his first Chick-fil-A ® restaurant in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall in 1967. Since then, the chain has
grown to include more than 1,550 locations in 39 states and Washington, D.C. In 2010, Chick-fil-A, Inc. posted more than $3.58
billion in system-wide sales, marking its 43rd consecutive year of sales growth. The chain plans to add 90 locations this year,
including 75 stand-alone, drive-through and in-line restaurants, and 15 licensed outlets in non-traditional locations such as college
campuses.This year, the chain also will spend millions in reinvestment dollars on existing business markets to remodel and redesign
more than 200 of its existing locations across the country. More information about Chick-fil-A is available on the chain’s
websites, located at www.chick-fil-a.com, www.facebook.com/chick-fil-a, www.chick-fil-a.com/pressroom or www.truettcathy.com.