Another free-standing Chick-fil-A in northern Delaware will open its doors on March 3 at 6 a.m. at a location at 4657 Ogletown Road.
The tract is also the site of a new Wawa convenience store and gas station that is now under construction. The location is in the middle of one of Delaware’s leading employment centers, with Christiana Care, JPMorgan Chase, Sallie Mae and Barclays among the companies located in the area.
The new restaurant will employ 115 and will hold the normal opening promotion of offering residents who camp out for the opening some prizes. A listing of rules is available at www.chick-fil-a.com/locations/first-100.
Local franchise owner Luke Trader successfully emerged from a difficult process of obtaining a franchise. The company receives 24,000 applications yearly for approximately 100 franchise opportunities.
Born and raised in Newark, Trader is transferring from Baltimore’s Chick-fil-A restaurant at White Marsh Mall.
He started working for operator Adam Marcus at his stand-alone Bear Chick-fil-A and Christiana Mall locations.
He applied for their interim manager program and after 18 months of managing corporately owned stores, Trader was named the operator at White Marsh Mall.
He went on to win company awards for operations at the store.
Trader is inviting the first 100 guests and restaurant customers to celebrate the new location by participating in a book drive for Robert S. Gallaher Elementary School. Trader is collecting new and gently used children’s books from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 3.
The donated books will be placed in a nearly three-foot Book House to serve as a free library exchange at the elementary school. The Book House, built from reclaimed wood, is donated by the Chick-fil-A Foundation.
Last year, Chick-fil-A collected more than 10,000 books from communities coast to coast.
The new Christiana Chick-fil-A restaurant features a custom restaurant design that includes a large gathering table made from reclaimed wood, subway tiles, two-story windows, and light fixtures made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles and peach baskets.
The restaurant will also feature dual drive-through lanes. The dining room will have seating for 124 and additional outdoor patio space.
The new Christiana Chick-fil-A location is the third restaurant in the Newark-Christiana area and the 11th in Delaware.
The city’s first location opened in 2009 in Christiana Mall and was followed by the licensee location at the University of Delaware.
The newest Newark restaurant comes 25 years after the chain opened its first Delaware location inside Dover Mall in 1991.
The Christiana restaurant is among 95 new Chick-fil-A locations opening this year across the country that will employ 8,000.
For more information, log on to www.Chick-fil-a.com.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1964 by the late S. Truett Cathy.
The family is deeply religious and closes the restaurants on Sunday. The decision has been credited with the chain seeing lower employee turnover than its competitors.
Chick-fil-A has about 2,000 restaurants in 42 states and Washington, D.C. The company is growing at a time when other chains are standing pat or closing locations.
A Wendy’s location in Bear, near a popular Chick-fil-A, was recently closed
Chick-fil-A system sales exceeded $6 billion in 2015.
The company was in the news a few years ago over comments made by CEO Dan Cathy and funding of groups opposed to gay rights. Cathy reached out to the gay community and funding for the groups was virtually eliminated.
Like other fast food chains, Chick-fil-A has taken heat for its popular items. The company has responded with offerings like a new kale salad and a broiled version of its signature chicken sandwich.
