Chick-fil-A greeted with a big crowd as it opens first location in Ottawa
More than 100 people lined up on foot and in vehicles outside Chick-fil-A at Ottawa's Tanger Outlets on Thursday, as the U.S.-based fast food outlet opened its first location in the capital.
The lineup formed hours before the Chick-fil-A restaurant opened at 10:30 a.m., and first place belonged to Antong Hou and Linoy Gofman, who arrived at 5:30 in the morning.
"We had it in Toronto together a while back. There's the waffle fries, there's the chicken sandwich with a piece of cheese and all the fixings on it and a drink. It just tastes good, tastes scrumptious," says Hou. "We heard there is a special surprise for the first few customers too, so we woke up very early."
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
The first 100 customers were offered a choice of a gift, a mug, or one year of free meals (52 meals).
"It's pretty awesome," says Gofman. "And their chicken sandwiches, nothing beats them."
This is the 15th Chick-fil-A in Canada, as the company continues to expand across the country. Chick-fil-A is the third-largest restaurant chain in the United States, and a typical restaurant generates nearly $9 million in annual sales.
Angela Rudd was happy to have a Chick-fil-A close to home.
"Thirty-five years for there to be a Chick-fil-A here in Ottawa, in my hometown," Rudd said, noting Chick-fil-A was her favourite when she lived in the United States.
The restaurant will be open for dine-in, drive-thru and pickup from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Chick-fil-A restaurants are always closed on Sunday. The company says Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Sundays to "give team members the opportunity to rest, enjoy time with their families and worship if they choose."
First to the Kanata locations drive through, Greg Harris and his father, Neil, who arrived around 6:30 a.m.
"My wife likes it and when we were in Toronto, she really enjoyed the Chick-fil-A and heard a lot of the times when they do the grand opening, the first hundred sometimes get two free meals," which Harris received. "I'm going to get the chicken sandwich, probably the spicy deluxe number five combo and their waffle fries they're famous for that. It's what my wife likes and I'll probably get one of their sweet teas too."
Chick-fil-A says to mark the opening of the new restaurant, it will donate $34,000 to a local non-profit organization through Second Harvest.
There were no protesters outside the Chick-fil-A when it opened Thursday morning. There were protests outside Chick-fil-A restaurants when they opened in Toronto and Kitchener, protesting the store for its ties to anti-LGBTQ groups.
The restaurant chain has been controversial. CEO Dan Cathy said in 2012 that the company supports "the biblical definition of the family unit." He repeated his stance in a 2018 TV interview but said he is not anti-gay. Critics have also pointed to corporate donations to groups opposed to same-sex marriage.
A second Chick-fil-A restaurant is set to open at the Rideau Centre.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7020898.1725055543!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Ontario mother still paying rent, despite not being able to live in mouldy home
A Cambridge, Ont. woman hasn't been able to live in her rental home for six months because of mould and she's upset her landlord isn't doing anything about it.
A Norwegian princess marries an American self-styled shaman in front of a star-studded audience
Social media influencers, reality stars and TV personalities were among the guests as the Norwegian king's eldest child, Princess Martha Louise, married an American self-professed shaman on Saturday in a wedding ceremony following three days of festivities.
What a weekend snooze could do for your heart health, according to new research
When it comes to maintaining a regular sleep schedule, sometimes a busy week can throw everything out of whack even when you have the best of intentions.
How helpful or harmful is ketamine? 5 things to know after Matthew Perry's death
Matthew Perry's 2023 death from what the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office determined were 'the acute effects of ketamine' cast a shadow over a medication that has been enjoying growing popularity as therapy for depression and other mental health conditions.
Police say 2 people who were attacked during London's Notting Hill Carnival have died
Two people who were critically injured in attacks while attending London’s Notting Hill Carnival earlier this week have died, police said Saturday.
Son of man who died in N.B. ER says premier using death to score 'political points'
The son of a 78-year-old man who died in a Fredericton emergency department after waiting to be seen for nearly seven hours says New Brunswick's premier is using his father's death to score political goals ahead of an election.
Police use Taser to subdue man who stormed media area of Trump rally in Pennsylvania
A man at Donald Trump's rally in Johnstown, Pa., stormed into the press area as the former U.S. president spoke Friday but was surrounded by police and sheriff’s deputies and was eventually subdued with a Taser.
Cyclists urged to wear Gaudreau Flames jerseys at Friday night bike ride
A Calgary cycling group is holding a bike ride that will double as a two-wheeled tribute to Johnny Gaudreau Friday.
'It’s family': Last call for iconic Halifax blues bar in old building
An iconic blues bar in Halifax is bidding farewell to its long-time home as it prepares to move to a new spot.