Why did dozens roost by the side of the road? To 'Eat Mor Chikin'
Dozens of hard-boiled chicken lovers camped out overnight to "Eat Mor Chikin' " this morning at the new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Boiling Springs.
The first 100 in line at 6:30 a.m. for today's grand opening will receive coupons good for 52 free combo meals.
The early birds began appearing at 5 a.m. Wednesday to scratch out their turf at the Highway 9 restaurant.
Campers were tagged with yellow wristbands to mark their places in line.
The "First 100" promotion was hatched by company president Dan Cathy in 2003 to reward customers at grand openings of Chick-fil-A restaurants.
The promotion has been so successful that some Chick-fil-A fanatics roam across state lines to participate.
Dallas Cahoon drove six hours from New Bern, N.C., with his wife, Kathy, his 2-year old grandson and family friend Peggy DeBerry.
A retired Air Force nuclear weapons maintenance technician, Cahoon has attended Chick-fil-A openings in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia since his first in January 2005 in Suffolk, Va. The Boiling Springs opening is Cahoon's 19th.
"We never get tired of eating here," Cahoon said.
He also shares his winnings. "We give them away mostly to family and friends, but also to needy families and even strangers," Cahoon said.
Tommy Fay and his brother Josiah were third and fourth in line, respectively, in Boiling Springs on Wednesday. The Fays had been on vacation in Myrtle Beach and stopped on their way home to Charlotte, N.C.
"We were actually here at 7 p.m. Tuesday night. We walked around in Wal-Mart for four hours to pass the time. We even went to the (Boiling Springs) springs," Josiah Fay said.
Others came prepared to nest.
One group of college students from various South Carolina colleges brought everything they needed to make the evening fun, including a generator to supply power for a television, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii and DVD player.
Jonathan Sherbert, a Coastal Carolina student, relaxed by the wading pool the group assembled behind their tents. "We have a slip and slide, too," Sherbert said.
Others passed a football, played Frisbee and drew off a four-square court with red tape in the drive-through lane.
Many planned to roost for the night in tents. To successfully collect the prize, contestants had to remain on the premises, and they had to form a line during periodic roll calls to remain qualified.
Five-time opening attendee John Barcroft, 84, from Florida said, "It's been our past experience that if you're not in line when they call you, you're out. It is fun, and it is worth the food you get."
Parking lot began to fill
The Chick-fil-A parking lot was beginning to fill with tents by noon Wednesday, and 52 campers received complimentary lunches. Chick-fil-A employees served free sandwiches and iced tea at lunch and dinner.
Shortly after noon, a thunderstorm passed over the restaurant, and one high-spirited camper yelled, "Everyone to the pool!" But the foul weather didn't ruffle feathers. Some continued to play cards and chat while others secured their tents and gear for the storm.
"It has been great," said Randy Goff, the restaurant's owner/operator.
Goff was surprised by the distance some people traveled to attend the opening and the dedication of some who make this a regular activity.
Harold and Vicky Kimball have been to 11 Chick-fil-A openings. Driving from their home in Burlington, N.C., the retirees secured their places as numbers 40 and 41.
"We got here at about quarter till eight this morning," Vicky Kimball said. "We actually have about six couples who usually come with us, but some of them thought this was a little too far to drive."
It took the Kimballs nearly three hours to get to Boiling Springs. The farthest they have gone to an opening is James Island.
If they stay in line until morning, they will score 52 free meals each, 104 overall, between them.
They often share the coupons with their three children and three grandchildren.
"It's just a neat hobby to have. We get to meet a lot of people and we always say jokingly, 'Where else can we make $500 in one night?' " Vicky Kimball said.
Goff said the value for the package was $286 per person.
Not everyone was so enthusiastic about the promotion. One disappointed family of six mistakenly thought the restaurant was open for business, but left when they found out it was a contest.
Another curious would-be customer, Fonda Wilhere of Wellford, came by to see what the prize was before committing to the overnight wait.
"You've got to be kidding me," Wilhere said. "Not for 52 free combos. If it were a thousand dollars, maybe I would wait in line that long. This is hilarious. You won't see me back here today. It's really comical."
Still, many were willing to go the distance in this game of chicken.
Stephen Garcia, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, said, "I thought it would be one combo a day, not one combo per week. I could definitely eat more than one a week, but one a week will work."
Stephen Garcia said he felt unprepared when he saw the crowd begin to set up camp. "I just rolled out of bed and came down. I had no idea there were professional groupies for these openings. When we got here I said, 'Man, we're the only ones here from Spartanburg.' "
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