Rockmart’s Chickfil-A is open for business.
The ribbon is cut, the doors are open and the chicken is being served as Rockmart’s Chick-fil-A opened its doors to customers bright and early on Sept. 14.
According to a release from the company, some 105 customers were lined up and waiting for breakfast last week on Thursday morning when the store opened this morning at 1500 Chattahoochee Drive, just off Nathan Dean Parkway.
“The Chick- fil- A cow led them in a conga line across the red carpet to the banging of pots and pans as Operator Zach Thomas awarded them with a card loaded with a year supply of Chick-fil-A,” the morning release stated.
Later in the morning around 9 a.m., local officials gathered with employees, Thomas and his family and employees as they cut a ceremonial ribbon for the store.
“We have a great store who is opening up here in Polk County, which many of us have waited on a long time,” said Chamber board chair Britt Madden Jr. “We’re real excited for this family, for the opportunities of the families who are employed here to find employment here in Polk County, and for all of us to enjoy this chicken that is going to be coming out of this place.”
Mayor Steve Miller added his appreciation for the opening.
“It’s a great day i n Rockmart, Georgia,” he said. “This has been an effort that has gone on for many years.”
Thomas himself had great praise for city officials including Stacey Smith, who he said was instrumental in helping make the new restaurant a reality.
“No way this would have happened without her,” Thomas said during ceremonies before the ribbon cutting itself.
Thomas, a Polk County native and graduate of West Point who served for several years as an Airborne Ranger officer until he pursued a career in business after his military service ended. Prior to owning and operating the Macland Crossing store in the metro Atlanta area from 2008 until earlier this year, he also co-founded Ranger Coffee Co. He said previously he continued to lobby throughout that time to bring a Chick- fil- A location to Cedartown or Rockmart, and that the company finally agreed.
The nearly 5,000-squarefoot store features a heritage design t hat showcases handmade, authentic materials for a vintage-inspired interior, including a large community gathering table made from reclaimed wood, subway tiles, and a light fixture made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles.
The dual drive-thru ordering lanes and screens to enable customers to move quickly into a single lane for payment and pickup will help keep traffic flowing through what promises to be busy first weeks of operation in Polk County as Chickfil-A settles in.
Thomas will have the help of a group of new store trainers to help get employees ready to handle the rush in this first week of operation.
The Rockmart Chick-filA location is the last of three Chick-fil-A restaurants opening in metro Atlanta within three weeks, coming just one day after the Sept. 13 opening of Bankhead Highway in Carrollton and two weeks after the newly rebuilt Newnan Dwarf House, now known as Truett’s Chick-fil-A. It’s also among 117 new locations nationally.
Overall, Thomas said he was glad to bring the store back to his hometown, which he and his family don’t plan to leave anytime soon.
“I tell people that I’ll be here until I die, Jesus comes back or my kids put me in a nursing home,” he said. “I’m here guys.”
The store this week undertook a number of promotional events ahead of the opening, including an invite-only lunch for local officials, and a dedication for the new playground, and dedication dinner for his employees, among others.