Written by Jess Ardrey
On Jan. 20, the Chick-fil- A of Searcy, Ark., opened its doors to the public for the first time. Many people were excited to go out and be some of the new restaurant’s first customers.However, none were more excited than the faithful 100 who set up camp in the park- ing lot for 24 hours before the grand opening. Part of the company’s promotional efforts included giving away free chicken sandwiches for a year to 100 lucky patrons who agreed to stay on the premises for a full day.Campers arrived before the sun to be in line at 6 a.m.The rules were simple: Chick-fil- A would provide the food as long as participants dropped everything for a day to sit in their parking lot. A few Harding students even showed up at midnight just to secure their spot in line.”We made sure we were the first ones on the site, junior Keith Johnson said. “And only six hours early.”Johnson’s crew was well- prepared, bringing not only items such as tents and sleeping bags for subzero weather, but also a TV and an Xbox.Despite the cold, Chick-fil-A did what it could to try to make everybody comfort- able. It also provided some entertainment to help pass the time. They played games, had scavenger hunts and even hired a DJ for a few hours that night.”I think they did as good a job as they could have done,” junior Jane Messina said. “They were really nice, and everything went well.”The majority of the campers were not Harding students but locals, some of whom travel around specifically to be at Chick-fil-A openings. Before the end of the day, the campers formed a sort of community.”It was very surreal,”Messina said. “I felt like I was in prison. The one thing we all had in common was that we were in lock-up.”The campers were awarded with 52 coupons the next morning at 6 a.m.,one for every week of the year.The coupons are good for a sandwich, fries and a drink at any Chick-fil-A and have no expiration date.Messina has already used a few of her coupons, includ- ing treating family to a free meal. Johnson, however, has other plans.”I’m hoping to use them for bribery, seeing as how I have power over the people now,” Johnson said. “I have free money. It’s a win-win.”
