Restaurant creates 40 new jobs, first of its design in South Carolina
Nearly four months after it was torn down, the newly rebuilt and expanded Laurens Road Chick-fil-A restaurant at 1564 Laurens Road will reopen with the chain’s newest design on Nov 15. Previously a drive-thru only location, the new restaurant will feature a full-size dining room along with a two-lane drive-thru and an ordering kiosk which will enhance customer experiences and improve restaurant efficiency.
Operator Brett Swanson is looking forward to reopening his business and welcoming back customers who will find an updated drive-thru process and parking lot along with a specific counter for Chick-fil-A app users. The expanded features will provide an even more remarkable experience not only for guests but also for Team Members who are excited to serve customers at the location which incorporates the chain’s latest restaurant innovations.
The rebuild and reopening of the Laurens Road Chick-fil-A comes 25 years after it first opened in March 1993. In all, 85 Team Members will work at the revamped location, including nearly 45 of Swanson’s original staff who worked at other locations during the rebuild and are thrilled to return to serve their guests.
Restaurant Details
Swanson’s 5,500-square-foot rebuilt restaurant has been designed to enhance all aspects of a guest’s experience from the drive-thru to the counter to in-restaurant dining. Highlights include a:
- dining room that seats 129 with a vintage-inspired interior, including 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.
- designated pickup counter for Chick-fil-A app customers.
- 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., Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. All Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sunday.
- two-lane drive-thru with an ordering kiosk to help serve as many guests as possible.
Team Member opportunities
Thousands of Team Members, including nearly 50 of Swanson’s own, are being impacted annually by Chick-fil-A’s Remarkable Futures education initiative. This year more than 5,700 Team Members were awarded with $14.65 million in scholarships, a $5.7 million increase from 2017 and one of the highest unrestricted per-employee scholarship investments in the industry. Team Members, who are beginning or continuing their higher education, are awarded scholarships in the amount of $2,500 or $25,000 that can be applied for any area of study at any accredited institution. In addition to $14.5 million in scholarships, all of Chick-fil-A’s 120,000 Team Members also have access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at 100colleges and universities nationwide.
About Operator Brett Swanson
Swanson grew up eating Chick-fil-A’s Ice Dream in Richmond, Va. As an adult, Swanson determined he wanted to work in an environment where he could help foster talent and care for his community. Afterrealizing Chick-fil-A fit his desire and passion for leadership, community service and entrepreneurial goals, he decided to apply to become an Operator. Becoming a Chick-fil-A Operator is no small feat with the company receiving some 40,000 applications yearly for approximately 129 franchise opportunities. In 2002, his dream was realized when he was awarded the Chick-fil-A in Bluffton, S.C. After three years there, he was selected to operate the Chick-fil-A on Laurens Road in Greenville. Because of his continued success, he was awarded the Chick-fil-A on Haywood Road in 2007 in addition to his Laurens Road location, making him a multi-unit Operator – a rare honor among Chick-fil-A Operators.
Residents of the Greenville area for 13 years, Swanson, his wife Winton, and their two children are thrilled to re-open the doors at Laurens Road and look forward to spending many more years serving the community at both locations.
“For the past 13 years at Laurens Road, I have served side by side with some incredible team members who’ve become like family,” said Swanson. “They are truly the reason we have been successful in a location we’ve simply outgrown. We feel so honored to be the caretakers of such a gorgeous, new restaurant and look forward to our guests once again visiting us, spending time with our team and most of feeling care for.”
About Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S.
Truett Cathy. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com. Additional information about Chick-fil-A at Laurens Road can be found by visiting https://www.facebook.com/cfa.laurens.rd/.
