Celebrate March 21 Chick-fil-A opening in Castle Rock

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (March 14, 2019) – Chick-fil-A will open its second Castle Rock restaurant on March 21, locally expanding its handcrafted food and award-winning customer service, commitment to community engagement and hands-on mentoring for nearly 90 newly hired Team Members.

Local franchise owner and Operator Joe Weber, who becomes a multi-restaurant owner with the opening, is inviting residents to help celebrate March 20 by joining in the First 100 Road Trip at his new restaurant located at

6353 Promenade Parkway. The celebration embodies a 15-year Chick-fil-A tradition of community engagement where nearly $39 million in free Chick-fil-A meals has been awarded through yearend 2018.

First 100 Road Trip

The Road Trip provides an impactful experience on many levels for up to 100 adult participants, who will travel on charter buses for a daylong interactive and service field trip. The event fulfills Weber’s passion to continue making a difference in the Castle Rock community before he opens the doors of his second restaurant.

• Up to 100 adults will win a digital offer card with a year of free Chick-fil-A meals (52 meals with each consisting of a Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, medium Waffle Potato Fries and a medium beverage).
• Registration begins Wednesday at the restaurant at 6 a.m. on March 20 and will continue until 8:30 a.m. or until 100 people are registered, whichever comes first. The event will last through approximately 5 p.m.
• The community event is open to guests living near the restaurant with a list of eligible zip codes and complete rules found at https://thechickenwire.chick-fil-a.com/News/Future-Openings.

About Operator Joe Weber

Weber’s earliest memory of Chick-fil-A goes back to childhood and eating free Chick-fil-A samples at his local mall in Tulsa, Okla. Having graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s in hotel and restaurant administration, Weber spent the next 20 years in the industry. He worked for more than 16 years at a national casual dining restaurant chain where he helped open and manage their restaurants. He had always been what he called a dual fan of Chick-fil-A, not only of the chain’s food but also of its operations, especially when a Chick-fil-a opened next door to the one he was managing – dropping sales by three percent. When corporate executives refused to accept that it was due to Chick-fil-A who they did not feel was their competition, Weber knew the time was right to turn his raving fan respect for the Chick-fil-A brand, that was also his children’s favorite restaurant, into a new career path.

In 2006, he began applying to become a Chick-fil-A Operator and joined the annual ranks of 40,000 other candidates pursuing one of the chain’s 120 or so yearly franchise opportunities. He was selected in October 2008 to take over the Castle Rock location. Having fallen in love with Colorado from 10 years of visiting their parents who lived there every summer to escape the Texas heat, the Webers jumped at the chance to consider the Castle Rock location. They immediately knew they had found home when they drove over the hill and saw the amazing view of the community. Weber told his wife, Kellie, whom he had met while attending OSU, to immediately call Chick-fil-A’s corporate office to accept the offer, even before seeing the restaurant. They haven’t looked back since.

Weber had only 25 employees when he first took over the Castle Rock restaurant a decade ago in October 2008. Applying his nearly two decades of hospitality and restaurant experience, along with his passion for the brand and his team’s hard work, the restaurant received the Top of the Chain Award for the next two years in a row. Today, he will employ nearly 180 Team Members between his two locations and becomes one of the few in the chain to own two stand-alone locations. He has been supported every step of the way by his family with all three children and Kellie working alongside of him in the restaurant.

Weber is quick to recognize his leadership team and the affect they are having on helping the business grow as well as impacting others. Several years ago, Weber wanted to channel his first-hand experience of how Chick-fil-A impacted his former restaurant career and the fact that it continues to be recognized and respected as a top leading, award-winning brand across all industries, to create an invaluable leadership opportunity for college graduates. Teaming up with local Chick-fil-A Operator Matt Williams of the Gateway Park location, the pair has created the Ascent Leadership Development Program that provides hands-on experience for graduates who are given the chance to help run a multi-million-dollar business while learning from an industry leader. The website https://ascentldp.com/ provides information about the 30-month, paid program. They currently recruit from not only local Colorado State University but also from Kansas State and Oklahoma State Universities. They also receive applications from other areas of the country with one participant from Wheaton, Ill.

“Providing them with real-life experiences, leadership opportunities and learnings from our multi-decades of business knowledge, this program creates a launching pad and resume builder for whatever they want to pursue,” said Weber who will be adding another three graduates who will be moving to the area in June to start the program. “While it’s always exciting when we hear someone wants to pursue becoming an Operator, our goal is to have them feel empowered to successfully ascent whatever personal and business goals they want to achieve in their life and hopefully pay those opportunities forward to another they can give a hand up in life.”

Restaurant details

Weber’s 5,000-square-foot restaurant has been designed to enhance all aspects of a guest’s experience from the drive-thru to the counter to in-restaurant dining with a stunning view of the front range of the Rockies. Highlights include a:

• dining room that seats 125 with a vintage-inspired interior that includes a large gathering table made from reclaimed wood, light fixtures from recycled Coca-Cola bottles and peach baskets, and an interactive two-story, indoor play area.
• Chick-fil-A app mobile ordering designated pick-up counter inside and two outside parking spots to further reduce wait time.
• full-service menu with a variety of healthy and dietary options, including breakfast until 10:30 a.m. Open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., daily except Sundays.
• two-lane drive-thru, that can handle upwards of 200 cars an hour, merging into a single pick-up point. The outdoor experience will be enhanced with face-to-face ordering under an extended, climate-control canopy.

Additional information about the Chick-fil-A at Promenade at Castle Rock can be found by visiting Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Chick-fil-A-Castle-Rock-120079974677901/.