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Monday, November 10, 2008
New Chick-fil-A near Miller Lane to give away $26,000 worth of free food
A new Chick-fil-A that is scheduled to open this Thursday morning, Nov. 13, at 3339 Benchwood Drive near Miller Lane will give away one-year supplies of Chick-fil-A meals (52 coupons) to the first 100 people in line when the restaurant opens between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Thursday, Chick-fil-A officials say.
The coupons for free once-a-week Chick-fil-A Meals will be awarded to “each of the first 100 adults, age 18 and older with identification,” and the line can begin forming up to 24 hours prior to the opening, Chick-fil-A officials said.
Here is the Chick-fil-A press release, in its entirety, that provides details of the “First 100 Fans” promotion:
Dayton’s Newest Stand-Alone Chick-fil-A Restaurant Opening Nov. 13
Chick-fil-A, Just Named Best Drive-Thru in America, Will Give Away Free Year’s Supply to First 100 in Line
DAYTON, Ohio (Nov. 13, 2008) - 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 Dayton’s newest stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant opening on Nov. 13 by giving away $26,000 in free Chick-fil-A food to the first 100 adults in line that morning with Chick-fil-A Inc.
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 3339 Benchwood Drive. The line can begin forming up to 24 hours prior to the opening, with the prizes being given away on Nov. 13 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 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.”
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.
Kevin Weaver has been selected as the franchised Operator of the new Chick-fil-A where he will employ approximately 65 team members.
“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 Weaver. “My team and I are eager to continue that legacy at Dayton’s newest stand-alone location.”
The Chick-fil-A on Benchwood Drive 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™, 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 1,405 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 or www.chick-fil-apressroom.com.
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TweetCarvers breaks free from chain, goes independent
The Dayton area’s newest independent restaurant is Carvers Steaks & Chops, the spacious steakhouse at 1535 Miamisburg-Centerville Road (Ohio 725) in Washington Twp.
Ron Taylor, managing partner for Carvers who has served as general manager for the restaurant for more than nine years, said he plans no immediate changes to a formula that has served Carvers well over the last 12 years. The staff and management team remain the same, Taylor said.
Until this month, Carvers was affiliated with a relatively small national chain of restaurants, Paragon Steakhouse Restaurants Inc., which has no connection to the independent Paragon restaurant located just down the road from Carvers. But the San Diego-based Paragon chain that owned Carvers declared bankruptcy in May 2008, and essentially dissolved last week, Taylor said.
Before ceasing operations, however, the chain sold off a dozen restaurants that have been healthy and profitable, including the Ohio 725 eatery, which is now a stand-alone, privately owned restaurant, Taylor said. With a dining room that seats 220 and a lounge that seats 75, Carvers becomes one of the largest independent restaurants in the Dayton area ((Do any readers know of any that are bigger in terms of seating capacity?).
Taylor said being affiliated with a financially struggling parent chain “kept us from progressing,” but he said he plans no immediate changes to the menu. The restaurant recently installed new carpet and new televisions, and is planning on increasing the number of wine dinners during 2009, he said.
Carvers “already has a great reputation, and we hope to enhance it,” Taylor said.
While increased competition from large chain restaurants at The Greene and from other Dayton-area restaurants that have opened in recent years has brought challenges, Taylor said Carvers is meeting those challenges. “We’re not breaking any records, but we’re profitable,” he said. “The difference is our staff.”
A sign at the restaurant’s reception area notes that because of the restaurant’s change of ownership, Carvers is not able to process gift certificates purchased before May 2008. But Taylor said holders of such gift certificates should talk to him about their options.
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