Long Beach Resident Opens New Chick-fil-A This Week In Torrance

TORRANCE, CA — The area's newest Chick-fil-A will open Thursday on West Carson Street at Vermont Avenue in Torrance, with Long Beach resident Ermias Ghebrezghi as proprietor.

In lieu of the chain's opening-day "First 100 Campout" tradition, that typically draws hundreds of die-hard fans, the eatery plans, instead, to provide a year of free Chick-fil-A meals to 100 "local heroes" at the neighboring Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, according to management.

Also to mark the new store opening, the Chick-fil-A Foundation, in a partnership with Feeding America, will donate $25,000 to support Torrance organizations that aid in the fight against hunger, officials said.

Ghebrezghi, the franchise owner of the restaurant at 819 W. Carson St., lives in Long Beach with his wife and daughter and has worked for such retailers as Ross Stores, Best Buy and The Home Depot.

Originally from Eritrea in Eastern Africa, Ghebrezghi got his first taste of Chick-fil-A in 1997 while visiting Atlanta.

“My first experience at a Chick-fil-A restaurant left me amazed at the high-level of quality and service,” he said. “Twenty-three years later, I am honored to join the Chick-fil-A brand and have the opportunity to bring that same impactful and caring experience to the Torrance community.”

Ghebrezghi's store will employ approximately 110 full- and part-time workers.

Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and closed on Sundays.

Given the current, COVID-19 in-house dining restrictions, the new Torrance locale initially is offering only drive-thru, mobile curbside and mobile carry-out service. Patrons also can place advance mobile orders for drive-thru pick-up using the Chick-fil-A App.

The 100 gift cards, pre-loaded with 52, free Chick-fil-A meals, will be delivered in coming days to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Follow the new Carson & Vermont Chick-fil-A here on Facebook for updates.

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