The Newest Chick-fil-A Opening in Riverside on Jan. 10
Riverside, Ca. – Chick-fil-A will open its newest Riverside restaurant on Jan. 10, bringing its handcrafted food and award-winning customer service, commitment to community engagement and hands-on mentoring for nearly 140 newly hired Team Members.
Local franchise owner and Operator Justin Beard is inviting residents to join in the opening festivities at his new restaurant at 3640 Central Ave. by participating in a community celebration that has been a 15-year Chick-fil-A tradition. Chick-fil-A’s First 100 celebration will have given away almost $39 million through year end 2018.
“I am excited to bring Chick-fil-A to even more people in Riverside and have an opportunity to mentor those who are part of our community family,” said Beard. “I am committed to developing my Team Members as together we provide a remarkable experience to our guests.”
The new Central Avenue & Riverside Plaza restaurant is part of a record week of openings for Chick-fil-A with the chain opening eight additional franchise locations around the country.
First 100 Campout Event
The family friendly overnight First 100 Campout party includes fun, engaging activities for all ages while enjoying Chick-fil-A meals throughout the countdown to the opening. Registration begins in the restaurant parking lot at 6 a.m., Jan. 9. Details include:
- Up to 100 adults will win a digital offer card with a year of free Chick-fil-A meals (52 meals with each consisting of a Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, medium Waffle Potato Fries and a medium beverage).
- The community event is open to guests surrounding the restaurant with a list of eligible zip codes and complete rules found at https://thechickenwire.chick-fil-a.com/News/Future-Openings.
Team Member Opportunities
Thousands of Team Members are being impacted annually by Chick-fil-A’s Remarkable Futures education initiative. Beard has given away more than $25,000 in scholarships to his Team Members over the past 17 years. In 2018, more than 5,700 Team Members were awarded with $14.65 million in scholarships, a $5.7 million increase from 2017 and one of the highest unrestricted per-employee scholarship investments in the industry. Team Members, who are beginning or continuing their higher education, are awarded scholarships in the amount of $2,500 or $25,000 that can be applied for any area of study at any accredited institution. In addition to $14.65 million in scholarships, all of Chick-fil-A’s 120,000 Team Members also have access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at 100 colleges and universities nationwide.
About Operator Justin Beard
Beard began his Chick-fil-A career at 17 when a high school friend told him how much she loved working there and shortly thereafter he was hired at a Texas location. While studying psychology at Texas A&M, Beard went home one weekend and while visiting his Chick-fil-A restaurant there, had a chance meeting with Dan Cathy, son of Chick-fil-A Founder S. Truett Cathy. Watching the way Cathy interacted with Team Members fueled Beard’s desire to pursue a career with Chick-fil-A.
After graduation, Beard worked at a Chick-fi-A restaurant in Houston, as well as traveled the country helping to open brand new Chick-fil-A restaurants. While at a restaurant opening in California, he learned of the opportunity to own the chain’s Day Street location in Riverside. It was while he was helping an Operator with a store in California that the opportunity to operate the Day Street Chick-fil-A restaurant came available. Beard and his new bride, Abbie, were thrilled when he was chosen as Operator. They packed their belongings and drove to California. Beard, his wife, and their three sons have happily made Riverside their home for the past 11 years.
“I’m excited for a new challenge of a brand-new restaurant,” said Beard. “But I’m more excited to be able to expand my service in the community where my family and I already spend so much of our time.”
Restaurant Details
Beard’s new 4,800-square-foot restaurant has been designed to enhance all aspects of a guest’s experience from the drive-thru to the counter to in-restaurant dining. Highlights include a:
- drive-thru, merging into a single pick-up point that can handle upwards of 200 cars an hour.
- heritage restaurant design that showcases a vintage-inspired interior with floor-to-ceiling windows and drop pendant lighting.
- convenient way to decrease pick-up time including three entry points into the restaurant and two Chick-fil-A mobile ordering pickup parking spaces.
- dining room with free Wi-Fi and 130 seats, along with a 20-seat outdoor patio.
- full-service menu with a variety of healthy and dietary options and breakfast until 10:30 a.m., and will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sunday to provide a day of rest and time with family and friends for team members.
About Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,394 restaurants in 47 states and Washington, D.C. Chick-fil-A reported more than $9 billion in revenue in 2017, which marks 50 consecutive years of sales growth. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com.
