Upon student and staff request, the former Bert’s restaurant and WOW café is now a Chick-fil-A and open for business.
Chick-fil-A opened on January 19th and students will now be able obtain their favorite meals without having to drive to Lumberton.
“We got the request to build the Chick-fil-A and worked out the finical arrangements, timelines and contracts,” said Sandra Jackson, General Manager of Sodexo.
Sodexo managed to get the campus to work with them and from there it was a simple process. Once everything was administered the process started and ran itself.
They worked on design and made sure that everything was running and working smoothly to provide UNCP students with a Chick-fil-A that satisfied their needs.
Before the official Chick-fil-A opened, Sodexo hosted a tastings event on campus, Wednesday, January 18th. The event provided students a chance to test the food for free as well as have the experience of being served at the restaurant.
In order for the tastings to be a success and not overcrowded with students, only select students were chosen at random to receive an opportunity to sample the food.
“It was recommended that we keep the crowd to 40,” said Jackson. “We sent an email to student affairs and invited 20 people.”
Not only was it an experience for the students at UNCP, but for the Chick-fil-A workers as well.
The trial run gave the workers the chance to practice working in the back and front counter to learn how to take orders. It was also a chance to give the workers an opportunity to see how the process works.
During the trial run Chick-fil-A served items that will be on their regular menu on campus. The menu is not a full menu and will only serve the original, spicy and grilled sandwich along with chicken nuggets and a salad.
Sodexo wanted the students to experience the new Chick-fil-A has if it were open and wanted the students to be familiar with what was expected of the restaurant and express their reactions.
“It gives us a chance to get customer feedback,” said Jackson. “And by the end of the day get recommendations through email.”
The hours for Chick-fil-A will be Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and will be closed on Friday. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the students as well as deserts.
“We are excited to bring Chick-fil-A to campus,” said Sandra Jackson.
The ribbon cutting for the new Chick-fil-A will be on Thursday, January 26th at 10:00 am.
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