BizBeat: Chick-fil-A postpones opening by one week

Cold temperatures, snow and ice over the past few weeks has had a big impact in Mid-Missouri and across the country. It seems the weather also hindered the final stages of construction of the anticipated Chick-fil-A restaurant in Jefferson City.

Chick-fil-A has postponed its grand opening by one week, project manager David Whiting said Friday.

The fast-food chicken joint, 3407 Missouri Blvd., was set to open Thursday, but will now open Jan. 23.

"That's final," Whiting said of the grand opening date. "The weather has been pretty brutal during the last six or so weeks."

All that's left to do is some landscaping and painting the parking lot stripes, Whiting said. With the 10-day forecast predicting no rain and temperatures above freezing, Whiting is confident the work will be complete on time.

"It is a real blessing to have weather like that when we need it," the project manager said.

After working in Jefferson City for the past several months, Whiting said the people here were great to work with.

Chick-fil-A will begin grand opening festivities with its "First 100" contest, on Jan. 22 at 6 a.m. The first 100 participants to camp out in the parking lot and be a part of the 24-hour event will be given a free Chick-fil-A sandwich meal per week for a year. The restaurant will officially open for business on Jan. 23.

The restaurant chain serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open Monday through Saturday with dine-in or drive-through services.

For official rules and more details on the "First 100" event, go to www.chick-fil-a.com.

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