Franchise owner Dustin DiChiara will open Florence’s second Chick-fil-A restaurant today but he started celebrating with a special grand opening Road Trip – transporting up to 100 participants on an interactive field trip around the area in order to earn a year supply of Chick-fil-A meals.
The new location at 8050 Mall Road is the first of two Chick-fil-A restaurants set to open in the area within the next two weeks.
The Oakley Station location will open on Sept. 14.
DiChiara will move from Florence’s Houston Road Chick-fil-A location to operate the new restaurant, bringing about 105 team members with him to the new location.
“We’re not just in the chicken business — we’re in the people business,” said DiChiara, “Our team is excited to serve our guests at the newest Florence location and provide a remarkable experience every time by serving food customers can truly feel good about eating, providing sincere hospitality and being a good neighbor in the Florence community.”
Chick-fil-A Road Trip Celebration
Chick-fil-A’s First 100 campouts have given away more than $31 million in free food through 2016 and continue to be the chain’s signature event to celebrate the opening of a new location.
However, this Chick-fil-A grand opening celebration will not involve any overnight activities.
Instead, up to 100 eligible participants, 18 years and older, started gathering shortly before 6 a.m. on Wednesday to register and immediately participate in the grand opening event.
Designed to be an impactful experience on many levels, the First 100 Road Trip took participants around the Florence area on a chartered bus while spending approximately six hours being engaged in activities that will provide opportunities to get up and move as well as inspire civic pride and gratitude.
The group returned to the new Florence restaurant around 3 p.m. to continue the celebration with the participants being awarded with a digital offer card loaded with a one-year supply 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 was open to guests residing in specific zip codes surrounding the restaurant.
The First 100 participants began their Road Trip with a stop by Florence Freedom Ball Park where they warmed up with a home run derby. Operator Dustin DiChiara won the “competition” by hitting the ball the farthest.
The second stop, at Masters Provisions, had the participants sorting through donated clothing to be sent both locally and abroad.
After eating lunch provided by Chick-fil-A Mall Road, the First 100 group headed to stops at Makerspace and the Cincinnati Airport.
Upon completion of the road trip, each eligible participant returned to the Mall Road restaurant at around 3:30 p.m. to continue the celebration. The post-road trip party included fun and games, as well as the awarding of the one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A meals.
With more than two decades of Chick-fil-A experience, including more than 12 years of being an Operator, DiChiara knows a thing or two about serving chicken. DiChiara’s Chick-fil-A career began in high school at one of the chain’s Birmingham, Ala. locations. There he learned about customer service and hard work and as a result, earned the Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship.
In 2005, after graduating college in Chicago, DiChiara returned to his Chick-fil-A roots and began operating the Tower Place location in downtown Cincinnati. In 2009, he moved to the Houston Road location, where he has been for the past eight years.
DiChiara is active in the Northern Kentucky community, serving on the Executive Committee of the NKY Chamber and a board member of The Carnegie. In his spare time, DiChiara loves to play the drums and travel, with his most recent adventure being a trip to Alaska with his family. DiChiara, his wife Amy, and their four children look forward to continuing to serve their guests in the Northern Kentucky area.