Planning to camp out for free Chick-fil-A? Beware: The rules have changed
Wichita’s newest Chick-fil-A is scheduled to open in a week at Maple and Ridge — and if you’re willing to camp in a parking lot, you could win free food for a year.
Just like it did when it opened two Wichita stores in 2012 (Central and Rock followed by 21st and Maize), the chicken chain is putting on a “First 100” event, which offers free Chick-fil-A food for a year to the first 100 people in the door when the store opens.
The first 100 people at the store by 6 a.m. on Wednesday will be allowed to start camping out. The new Chick-fil-A is set to open at 6 a.m. on Thursday.
But Chick-fil-A has changed the rules a bit since the last time Wichita hosted a “First 100” campout. No longer can professional campers, who would travel from city to city trying to win the free food coupons, take the opportunity away from a local resident. (Several participants at the 2012 Wichita campouts admitted that they were professional Chick-fil-campers from out of state.)
Starting about two years ago, said the new Chick-fil-A’s owner/operator Jason Lansdown, the company began requiring that campers bring IDs that prove they live in a nearby ZIP code to be eligible to win.
The Chick-fil-A website has already listed 75 ZIP codes that are eligible for Wednesday’s campout at Maple and Ridge. They’re all generally within a 30-mile drive from Wichita.
“They have to be from our area,” Lansdown said. “They want it to be a local winner. What happened a few years ago is that some people would travel the country all summer just to go to openings, and although we love them, too, we thought it would be better to have local people win, to connect with our community.”
The 100 winners will each get a card good for 52 Chick-fil-A meals throughout the year.
Lansdown said that his crews were somehow able to complete the restaurant a full week ahead of its projected opening date, a rarity in the restaurant world.
The new Chick-fil-A will have an indoor playground, lots of outdoor seating and two canopies that will protect employees from the elements while they’re taking orders and delivering food in the drive-through. It will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Like all other Chick-fil-A restaurants, it’s closed on Sundays.
Lansdown said he’s looking forward to being included in the explosion of restaurants that’s happened at Maple and Ridge over the past several years.
“It’s grown a ton,” he said. “When we first opened at 21st and Maize six years ago, Maple and Ridge wasn’t what it is today. We’re excited it’s grown the way it has, and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
This story was originally published August 22, 2018 at 4:08 PM.