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Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc., a family owned and privately held restaurant company, opened its first Tri-Valley eatery at 6 a.m. Thursday to hundreds who camped out overnight and others sitting in their cars to order from two drive-up windows.
The nationally popular restaurant is located at 5785 Johnson Drive in Pleasanton next to the I-580 and Hopyard Road intersection and with a driveway entrance across from Tommy T’s.
The first 100 people in line at opening hour received free Chick-fil-A for a year, a company tradition going back 13 years. In that time, Chick-fil-A has given away nearly $27 million in free food as it continues the chain’s signature grand opening event.
Company spokeswoman Adriana Desiderio said that Chick-fil-A fans began lining up 24 hours in advance of the opening hour. They were fed all day, entertained with activities and enjoyed a DJ during the late night hours.
The Pleasanton restaurant occupies a 5,300-square-foot building with a dining room that seats 116, outdoor seating for 40 and a two-story interactive indoor play area for children and free Wi-Fi. It also features dual drive-through ordering lanes and screens to enable customers to quickly pay and pick up.
Open Mondays through Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., it offers a full-service menu, including breakfast until 10:30 a.m. Like all Chick-fil-A locations, it will be closed on Sunday.
The Pleasanton franchise is owned by Aaron Clifford, who was raised on a Northern California strawberry and raspberry farm. He remembers coming to Pleasanton often as a child. where his family would sell berries at the the Farmers Market. After receiving a degree in business management, he worked in construction before joining the Chick-fil-A organization.
The Pleasanton Chick-fil-A and its 100 employees are also inviting customers to celebrate the new location by participating in a children’s book drive for a local organization.
Clifford is collecting new and gently used children’s books from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and asks that donated books be placed in a “Book House” at the restaurant to serve as a free library exchange.
Since 2014, Chick-fil-A has collected more than 27,000 children’s books which have been donated to 162 local organizations in 37 states and Washington, D.C.
Good chicken
Never been to one, but will try it. I badly miss Carl’s, which was the only junk food I could tolerate. I like the grilled chicken and the basic burger. Most junk food and many formerly tolerable restaurants have gone to heavy, greasy, cheesy bar food.
It’s a good location for a store like that.