First Chick-fil-A in E.C. to Open Bright and Early Thursday, Nov. 30
long-awaited fast-food chain launches first Chippewa Valley eatery
Eau Claire’s first Chick-fil-A will open bright and early at 6:30am on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 3849 S. Oakwood Mall Drive.
Locals have long yearned for the fast-food chain, which typically garners plenty of votes for Kind of Eatery We Most Need in Volume One’s annual Best of the Chippewa Valley Poll. Until now, the closest Chick-fil-A restaurants were either 60 miles south in Onalaska or more than 70 miles west in Woodbury, Minnesota.
The new Eau Claire location will be open for dine-in, drive-thru, and carry-out from 6:30am-9pm Monday-Thursday and 6:30am-10pm Friday-Saturday. Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays so its employees can have at least one day off of work and practice religion if they choose, according to its website. The restaurant will be operated by Racine native, Alec Lewis, who now lives in Eau Claire, and about 100 part- and full-time staff members.
“When I joined the Chick-fil-A family in Racine in 2012, it was the only Chick-fil-A in the state of Wisconsin, and I would regularly interact with guests that drove hundreds of miles to experience the great tasting food and signature hospitality,” Lewis said in a recent media release. “When I decided to pursue a career with Chick-fil-A, it was my dream to introduce the brand to a new community in Wisconsin. I am thrilled to finally show Chippewa Valley why Chick-fil-A is so special!”
The new location plans to participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program, an initiative that redirects surplus food from the restaurant to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks, and nonprofits in need.
In celebration of its grand opening in Eau Claire, Chick-fil-A will donate $25,000 to Feeding America, with funds distributed in the greater La Crosse-Eau Claire area. The local store will also provide 100 “local heroes” with free Chick-fil-A entrees for one year, according to a media release.
Chick-fil-A is known for its Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich and its popular Chick-fil-A sauce, among other menu items. There are more than 3,000 locations across 48 states, first founded in 1967.
