Chick-fil-A Drive-Thru To Open Thursday In Encino

ENCINO, CA — The first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Encino is set to open Thursday at 17660 Ventura Blvd., near White Oak Avenue.

This new site is a "drive-thru" style, a new corporate design with outdoor seating and walk-up windows for ordering, and is one of 10 Chick-fil-As opening this year in the Los Angeles-metro area, according to management.

As this eatery is a "drive-thru," the company is not hosting its traditional, grand-opening "First 100 Campout." Instead, a three-hour Red Carpet celebration -- offering the first 100 in line a year of free meals-- will begin Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., with a 5 p.m. registration. The first 100 eligible patrons can line up to score a digital-offer card, pre-loaded with a year of free Chick-fil-A — 52 meals consisting of a chicken sandwich, waffle potato fries and a medium beverage.

Participants must be 18 and older with valid government I.D. and residents of specific Zip codes. Details can be found at www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/Openings.

The operator of the new Encino eatery, that will employ about 85 people, is Alyson Perry, a Kentucky native, who worked for the chain since she was 15 years old, attended college as part of the business' Leadership Scholarship program and held various positions opening stores nationwide for Chick-fil-A over the years until finally landing her own store.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to serve the Encino community in every way I can outside our restaurant and make our guests feel at home at our location,” Perry said. “I also look forward to mentoring and providing growth opportunities for my team members, so they can be the best versions of themselves, while creating an exciting and fun place for them to work. “

During her senior year of college as a fashion-merchandising major, Perry realized her "true career passion was to become a Chick-fil-A operator," management said. Landing a franchise is no small feat as Chick-fil-A fields nearly 60,000 applications yearly for approximately 100 franchise opportunities, according to officials.

Family-owned, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A was founded in 1967 and prides itself on being closed on Sundays and offering scholarships to employees.

Follow the new Encino Chick-fil-A here on Facebook. Those interested in a job can apply online at https://www.cfarestaurantcareers.us/white-oak-and-ventura/.

The restaurant will be open 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.

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