SPOKANE, Wash. — It's something Spokane residents having been wishing and waiting for: Spokane's first Chick-fil-A location is finally opening its doors on Tuesday, Dec. 1. The location is at on 9304 North Newport Highway.
The restaurant opened at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday for the drive thru only, according to the company. Ordering through the mobile app won't be available.
So far, the location has hired about 130 employees, and plans to hire more, the spokesperson told KREM 2.
At 5 a.m. Tuesday morning there were already 40 cars in line, according to KREM 2's Nicole Hernandez. The line is wrapped around the block, Hernandez said. Some of the people waiting in line parked there as early as 8 p.m. Monday night to get a good spot, customers told Hernandez.
Spokane police will be at Chick-fil-A for its first few days after opening to help with traffic control, according to Spokane Police Sgt. Terry Prueninger.
Naturally, the grand opening will be different than it would otherwise due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a typical grand opening, the restaurant would give away free meals to the first 100 customers waiting in line. However, in light of the coronavirus the restaurant is donating a year of free meals to 100 local heroes instead, according to a company spokesperson.
Chick-fil-A is also partnering with Feeding America to donate $25,000 to aid the fight against hunger. The money will go to organizations in Spokane "that are doing good work to care for others," according to a press release.