GREENSBORO, Ga. — Chick-fil-A will open its first Greensboro restaurant at 2521 Towne Center Parkway on Oct. 31, bringing its handcrafted food and award-winning customer service, commitment to community engagement and hands-on mentoring for nearly 80 newly hired team members.

Chick-fil-A Operator Josh Waddy graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point in 1997 with a mechanical engineering degree. He served his country for nine years as a UH-60 Blackhawk pilot, stationed as far away as South Korea and Germany.

In 2006, he decided to retire and began searching for his next career and narrowed his choices between Chick-fil-A and a medical sales position. Waddy had a timely discussion with Chick-fil-A Founder S. Truett Cathy around his two career options. He took Cathy’s advice of taking the other job until he was sure about becoming an Operator, which took less than a year for him to realize what he really wanted to be doing in his life. While working through the Operator application process, Waddy went to work as a Team Member at the Chick-fil-A in Gainesville to gain valuable experience and learn firsthand about Chick-fil-A’s focus on mentoring young people, serving freshly prepared food and positively impacting local communities.

Becoming a Chick-fil-A Operator is no small feat as the company receives 60,000 applicants annually for approximately 100 franchise opportunities. Waddy was selected as Operator of the Chick-fil-A at Peachtree Mall in 2007 and then relocated to Alabama in 2014 to open the Chick-fil-A at Enterprise. He has focused on mentoring his team including awarding nearly $30,000 in scholarships. In return, his Team Members have helped him earn a Symbol of Success and a Champion’s Club awards in 2009, the chain’s highest and most elite honors for Operators. 

Having visited his wife’s family in Greensboro for the past 25 years, Josh and Kristin and their two children are thrilled to open the Lake Oconee restaurant and relocate to an area they love and already consider home. “I am excited to have an opportunity to serve our community both inside and outside my restaurant,” said Waddy, who is one of 13 kids and played high school football for Kristin’s dad. “I am committed to developing my Team Members into becoming the best version of themselves, as we work together to provide a remarkable experience to our guests who become part of our family.”

Waddy’s 4,661-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. Highlights include a:

• dual-lane drive-thru merging into a single pick-up point that can handle upwards of 200 cars an hour. The location also has environment-controlled canopies to further enhance the outside face-to-face ordering experience.
• heritage restaurant design that showcases a vintage-inspired interior with floor-to-ceiling windows and drop pendant lighting. 
• 98-seat dining room with a two-story indoor playground and free Wi-Fi, along with a 16-seat outdoor patio.
• full-service menu with a variety of healthy and dietary options and breakfast until 10:30 a.m., and will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sunday. 

First 100 Campout event 

The overnight, 12-hour grand opening First 100 Campout party includes engaging activities for participants who also will enjoy eating a Chick-fil-A meal during the countdown to the opening. Registration begins in the restaurant parking lot at 6 p.m., Oct. 30. Details include:

• Up to 100 adults winning 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). 
• The community event is open to guests surrounding the restaurant with a list of eligible zip codes and complete rules found at https://thechickenwire.chick-fil-a.com/News/Future-Openings.