Long-awaited Chick-fil-A opens Thursday

The long-awaited dynamo of the quick-serve chicken sandwich industry opens its doors this week to the Flathead Valley.

Montana’s first Chick-fil-A restaurant opens Thursday at 6 a.m., on U.S. 93 North, where maintenance crews are wrapping up the final touches on the building nine months after construction began in late May.

Franchise owner and operator Casey Meadows expects loyal fans will be camping out tonight; with the first 100 customers receiving a prize of 52 free combo meals for a year.

As the hype as been building for the new location, Meadows said the restaurant’s reputation has been made primarily on service and atmosphere.

“Some people say it’s a cult following,” he said. “What I would say makes us different is the people, the service, that it’s more than just a chicken sandwich. We like to say you’re paying for the experience.”

Chick-fil-A has hired about 95 employees since early October. Meadows said the plan is to hire 120 in total, although the hiring process is on hold until the dust settles after the grand opening. The hiring process, which is notoriously difficult in the Flathead, moved quickly, Meadows said, because Chick-fil-A was able to hire people starting at $10 an hour.

“We knew that we would have to start off a little bit higher,” he said. “It’s hard when you have very little unemployment, so knowing that was the plan from the beginning just made it easy.”

Since the hiring process ramped up, new employees have been learning about the menu and the facility. Along with the mechanical training, time is spent on the attitude and welcoming tenor each employee is asked to bring to the customer.

MyKayla Keillor, one of the trainers, said the elation eventually becomes natural.

“It’s not hard smiling when you’re surrounded by happy people,” she said.

Drinks aside, nearly every single item on the menu is chicken related.

The restaurant uses a pressure cooker to keep juices inside the fillet, rather than allowing frying oil to soak into the chicken. There are grilled chicken options, as well as a traditional breading that’s partly credited for the “cult following” fandom.

Chick-fil-A marks another step in the final phases of Spring Prairie Phase Three, the lots assembled at the north end of Kalispell near Old Reserve Drive. Stores like the Boot Barn and Cabela’s opened years ahead of Chick-fil-A, although the chicken joint had secured the location in 2013.

“What we’ve seen with this company is we’re not typically the first in an area,” Meadows said. “After they purchase the property, they wait to let the area develop. They’re going to make sure everything is done at the right time.”

Meadows himself is a 22-year veteran of Chick-fil-A. He most recently operated a Southern California Chick-fil-A with his wife Jan while they are both originally from Georgia, just an hour south of where the restaurant was founded.

“I started when I was 15 years old,” he said. “So it’s exciting. We’re also excited to be here and we’re looking forward to what the valley’s been longing for.”

Chick-fil-A officially opens at 6 a.m. Thursday, and will open at 6:30 a.m. five days a week. For more information, visit www.chick-fil-a.com.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.