Millsboro’s very first Chick-fil-A location is now open for business.
Tim Sweetman, Operator of the Millsboro Chick-fil-A location, awarded his First 100 campers right at 6 a.m. this morning. The event reached 100 campers at around 4:15 a.m. Thursday.
Each camper walked away with a prize of free Chick-fil-A for a year. Winners were limited to those residing in selected zip codes in the Millsboro area.
A line of about 30 people, and about 10 cars in the drive-thru were on hand when the store opened at 6:30.
Campers came despite high winds in the fast-growing community in coastal Sussex County.
Sweetman continues to interview for full- and part-time positions to reach his goal of 100 new jobs. Applicants may apply online at http://www.cfamillsboro.com.
Sweetman, grew up eating Chick-fil-A at an Annapolis mall and as a teen, became a team member at the chain’s Edgewater location.
Sweetman graduated from Boyce College in Louisville, Ky., and worked as a communication and brand manager for a school before returning to Chick-fil-A as director of training and leadership development for three Annapolis restaurants.
He was later selected as an operator. Chick-fil-A typically selects 100 operators a year from 24,000 applicants. The company’s franchise model limits franchisees to one location and in some cases another mall
Sweetman is asking guests to participate in a children’s book and clothing drive benefitting John M. Clayton, East Millsboro and Longneck elementary schools. He will be collecting new and gently used children’s books and clothing, including shoes, for children in elementary and middle school, through grand opening week.
Since 2014, Chick-fil-A has collected more than 57,000 books that have been donated to 325 local organizations in 45 states and Washington, DC.
The new restaurant has 5,000 square feet, a two-story indoor play area for children, free WiFi, dual ordering lanes for the drive-thru. The dining room seats 107.
Chick-fil-A first opened in Delaware 25 years ago at the Dover Mall in 1993. The new Chick-fil-A in Millsboro becomes the 12th location in the state is among the 140 Chick-fil-A locations scheduled to open this year.
Early on, Chick-fil-A focused on mall stores, but in recent years has added free-standing restaurants that gross an average of $4 million a year, This comes in spite of all stores remaining closed on Sundays.
The closing, which reflects the founding family’s Christian faith, is now seen as a competitive advantage in retaining staff in a tight labor market.
