Perhaps you saw the tents that popped up late night Tuesday and early morning Wednesday at University Town Center and wondered, just what was going on? Well, after waiting all summer, UC Irvine students and members of the surrounding communities were excited for the grand opening of University Town Center’s new Chick-Fil-A. But why the tents? Just like In- n- Out’s secret menu, only a few people really know what the others are missing out on.
For the First 100 customers present 24 hours prior to the official Grand opening of a new Chick-Fil-A location, there is a great prize awaiting them: FREE Chick-Fil-A combo meals for a year! That’s a chicken sandwich, medium sized waffle fries and a medium sized drink. Chick-Fil-A does not take their grand openings lightly.
But who would really camp outside a Chick-Fil-A for 24 hours? Lots of people do. In fact, if you log on to their official website, you can find official game rules, tips and even locations of new grand openings around the country in case you have used your last meal of the year and need to stock up for the upcoming year.
Free food is a great incentive for us college students, but is it worth missing a full day of classes and other activities? For most students, no, but for Stephen Zou ’15, who was there with four other friends, it was more than worth it. After hearing about the contest through Facebook, Zou arrived at Chick-Fil-A at 5:30 am Tuesday, 24 hours prior to the grand opening just for the incentive.
How does Chick-Fil-A expect contestants to entertain 100 people for a full 24 hours? There were games, music, and giveaways throughout the day to keep the contestants occupied. Numbered wristbands and random headcounts took place throughout the 24 hours to ensure that the first 100 are present for the full 24 hours. And of course, free chicken! Chick-Fil-A provided three meals for the 100 contestants, undeniably a crowd favorite.
Chick-Fil-A is not the only new kid on the block. The University Town Center has been making major changes over the last few months. Many former stores have been replaced by new choices for students. Change can sometimes be daunting, but Zou thinks these changes are good. To him, the “options are more what college students want,” the other stores seemingly closed because students were not frequenting them regularly.
Alumna Lauren Matt expressed satisfaction. Matt still frequents the University Town Center after attending church nearby. She recalls that she enjoyed UC Irvine but “everything around here closed at 9pm.” Giggling, Matt says she is happy that the University Town Center is now catering more to the college population. She also felt that revamping the plaza will help the surrounding community as well. Now residents nearby will not “have only the Spectrum and Fashion Island for good food options.”
One question remains: Can the sweet smiles and frequent “my pleasures” give In-N-Out a run for its money? Former UC Irvine student, Dj MMMSop ’12, does not seem to think so: “Chick-Fil-A is like, just chicken,” and is a “totally different burger from In-N-Out,” which specializes in beef burgers. Zou is also another In-N-Out faithful, who “will pay for In-N-Out, and will probably only go to Chick-Fil-A because it’s free.”