Everything you need to know about the Chick-fil-A Grand Opening!

Chick-fil-A will open its first Wesley Chapel restaurant on May 2, bringing its handcrafted food and award-winning customer service, commitment to community engagement and hands-on mentoring for 120 newly hired Team Members.

Local franchise owner and Operator Jim Larreau is inviting residents to join in the opening festivities at his new restaurant at 28295 State Road 54 by participating in a community celebration that has been a 15-year Chick-fil-A tradition. Chick-fil-A’s First 100 celebration will have given away more than $39 million through year end 2018.

First 100 Campout

The overnight First 100 Campout party will include fun, engaging activities for participants who also enjoy Chick-fil-A meals throughout the countdown to the opening. Registration begins in the restaurant parking lot at 6 p.m., May 1.

Details include:

· Up to 100 adults will win a digital offer card with a year of free Chick-fil-A meals (52 meals with each consisting of a Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, medium Waffle Potato Fries and a medium beverage).

· The community event is open to guests surrounding the restaurant with a list of eligible zip codes and complete rules found at https://thechickenwire.chick-fil-a.com/News/Future-Openings.

· Prizes will be awarded shortly before 6 a.m., May 2, with the restaurant to open shortly afterward.

About Operator Jim Larreau

It is a homecoming for Larreau who is transferring from St. Petersburg’s Chick-fil-A at Tyrone Boulevard restaurant where his team earned the Symbol of Success – Chick-fil-A’s highest honor for its Operators. Having grown up in Tampa in the Town ‘n’ Country area, Larreau began his Chick-fil-A career at 14 following in his sister’s footsteps where they both worked together at the Tampa Bay Mall. Larreau went onto serve as an interim manager for the company where he would help to open locations throughout the country while in pursuit of becoming an Operator. His hard work and dedication to the brand was recognized when he was awarded the Chick-fil-A at Westshore Plaza in October 2002. He just surpassed 21 years of working for the chain and thanks his sister for introducing him to a career which brings him so much joy. Larreau’s sister now serves as his senior executive director and is part of his leadership team that consists of seven other members who also transferred over with him and have nearly four decades of experience working together.

Larreau brings a tradition of service outside his restaurant to his new location by partnering with Bridging Freedom to combat domestic minor sex trafficking during his grand opening celebration. Wesley Chapel First 100 participants and guests are encouraged to bring items such as individual craft kits, toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, healthy snacks and gardening seeds to the new restaurant during the grand opening week to be donated to the organization.

Larreau and his wife, DeeDee, are thrilled to work alongside their three children as they open the doors of the Wesley Chapel’s first Chick-fil-A restaurant. “I am honored to serve the Wesley Chapel community both inside and outside of my restaurant,” said Larreau. “I look forward to developing myTeam Members as together we provide a remarkable experience to our guests who become part of our family.”

With the restaurant located off exit 279 on I-75, Larreau knows he will have busy commuter traffic each day, and plans to focus a majority of his training and efforts on providing a welcoming, fast and efficient drive-thru experience for his guests. “I hope to be the quickest Chick-fil-A drive thru in the Southeast,” said Larreau.

Restaurant details

The nearly 5,000–square-foot Wesley Chapel restaurant will seat 134 inside and 22 outside. This restaurant will enhance all aspects of a guest’s experience from the drive-thru to the counter to in-restaurant dining. Highlights include a:

· dining room with a vintage-inspired interior, including a large gathering table made from reclaimed wood, light fixtures from recycled Coca-Cola bottles and peach baskets.

· designated inside Chick-fil-A mobile order pick-up counter, as well as the testing of Dine-In Mobile ordering that allows guests to go directly to a table to place their order which will be hand-delivered to their table.

· full-service menu with a variety of healthy and dietary options, including breakfast until 10:30 a.m. The restaurant will open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily except Sundays.

· two-lane drive-thru that features face-to-face ordering, with lanes merging into a single pick-up point.

The Wesley Chapel restaurant opening is one of two occurring in metro Tampa on May 2. Tampa native Chick-fil-A Operator Denis Spradlin, who also operates the Temple Terrace restaurant at 5302 E. Fowler Ave., is opening his second location in the area in the Uptown District at 2811 E. Fowler Ave.Along with hiring 70 Team Members, Spradlin is hosting a May 1 First 100 Road Trip where upwards of 100 adults also can earn a year supply of Chick-fil-A following an all-day event engaging participants in various activities and service stops throughout the local community.

Chick-fil-A in Tampa

The opening of the Wesley Chapel and Uptown District locations come almost 45 years after Chick-fil-A first arrived in Tampa, opening inside University Mall in August 1974. The restaurants are among 120 new Chick-fil-A restaurants projected to open this year creating more than 10,000 new jobs. Additional information about the Wesley Chapel location can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CFAWCFL/.