FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Brenda Morrow
Chick-fil-A, Inc.
brenda.morrow@chick-fil-a.com
404.765.8064
Lydia Huerta
CP Communications Inc.
lydiahuerta@cpcommunicationsinc.com
210.310.6708
Chick-fil-A Continues California Expansion in 2012;
First Stand-Alone Restaurant Opening in South Bay Jan. 12
First 100 in Line at New Restaurant on Hawthorne Boulevard to Win Free Year’s Supply of Chick-fil-A Food
TORRANCE, Calif. (Jan. 12, 2012) – The Chick-fil-A® restaurant chain and its renegade Cows will “moove” into the
New Year with the opening of South Bay’s first stand-alone location in Torrance on Jan. 12 as part of its continued Los Angeles
expansion.
As with all Chick-fil-A grand openings, the first 100 adults in line Jan. 12 when the doors open at 18200 Hawthorne
Blvd., Torrance will be awarded a free year’s supply of Chick-fil-A. The parking lot party draws from miles around Chick-fil-A’s
loyal customers who come equipped with couches, TVs, 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 Torrance 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. The line officially
opens at 6 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 11, with the free meal cards being awarded Thursday, Jan. 12, sometime
between 6:00 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, Jan. 11, all 100 spots will be determined by a raffle. See http://www.chick-fila.com/Locations/First-100 for complete rules.
The company opened its first Hollywood restaurant last year followed by its first Northridge and Fullerton locations.
Chick-fil-A currently operates 50 locations in California with additional restaurants set to open in 2012, including the chain’s
first Bay Area restaurants, continuing its California expansion.
“We are amazed, gratified and humbled by the overwhelming welcome we have received since beginning our
California expansion in 2004,” said Dan T. Cathy, Chick-fil-A president and COO. “With the opening of our newest restaurant in
Los Angeles, we continue to make our signature menu items and service more easily available throughout the area and look
forward to many more Chick-fil-A openings in the coming months and years.”
The First 100 event rewards and celebrates that loyalty with a 24-hour campout in the restaurant parking lot that
includes music, contests, games, 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 grand openings.
Moving to South Bay from South Carolina, new Chick-fil-A Operator Cole Donahoo is excited to be opening Torrance’s
first stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant. Donahoo began his Chick-fil-A career in Charleston. A graduate of the University of
South Carolina, Donahoo earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. Donahoo will be using his many years of
communication experience, to provide excellent customer service to the South Bay 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 Donahoo, who is new to
South Bay and looks forward to connecting with the community. “We want our customers to enjoy our freshly prepared food in
the same friendly neighborhood environment he created.”
Chick-fil-A offers a completely trans fat-free menu and was among the first national quick-service restaurant chains to
do so. Also new this month is Chick-fil-A’s Chicken Tortilla Soup, a limited time offering made with shredded breast of chicken,
navy, northern and black beans in a creamy base combined with vegetables and spices. It will be on the menu until March. 31.
Chick-fil-A continues to win industry accolades with Men’s Health “Eat This, Not That” 2012 edition once again giving
the chain high marks (A-) and naming it as one of the top two restaurants for providing healthier menu options.
In September, it was named as top chain in the large chain category from the results of Zagat’s 2011 National Fast
Food Restaurant Survey that measured the opinions of 6,000 consumers covering 103 chains. With each restaurant being
rated on its quality of food, service and facilities, the survey scored Chick-fil-A first in service and the chargrilled sandwich
categories; and second in the areas of food, best drive-thru, most child friendly, and facilities. Chick-fil-A also received
Consumer Reports Top Chicken Chain for food and service and America’s Third Favorite Quick-Service Restaurant award by
Market Force.
This year marks 66 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 90th birthday, 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. Cathy has
focused from the very beginning on freshly prepared menu items and superior customer service, which have become the
hallmarks of the chain.
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 1,606 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. 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.