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Historic North Druid Hills Chick-fil-A reopens after being rebuilt

When it opened in April 1986, the location was run by corporate to evaluate the design and its impact on the overall customer experience.

Chick-fil-A’s historic first stand-alone restaurant reopened Thursday morning after being rebuilt and renovated over the last five months.

The location, located at North Druid Hills and Briarcliff roads, originally opened 32 years ago to meet the demands of its customers in the area. At the time of it's opening in April 1986, the location was run by corporate to evaluate the design and its impact on the overall customer experience.

Whatever they did decades ago must have worked, since there are thousands of stand-alone locations across the country.

Hundreds of people waited outside the newly-build establishment for a chance to win free Chick-fil-A for a year. Operator Greg Mapoles also hosted a children’s book drive to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Mapoles took over the location from corporate in 1988.

“It was an exciting opportunity to help pioneer the chain’s entry into stand-alone growth knowing that my team and I would become valuable resources for providing feedback to corporate and helping other Operators,” Mapoles said.

The building orientation was completely reconfigured to improve customer ease and traffic flow efficiency in the parking lot and drive-thru with both entrances now located in the back.

The new location includes:

  • Heritage restaurant design with a reconfigured dining room that seats 102 and showcases vintage-inspired interior, including a large gathering table made from reclaimed wood and light fixtures made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles and peach baskets.
  • Two-story, indoor playground area.
  • Chick-fil-A One mobile ordering pickup available through dual drive-thru or inside
  • Full-service menu with a variety of healthy and dietary options, including breakfast until 10:30 a.m. It will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and closed Sunday to provide a day of rest and time with family and friends for team members.
  • Kitchen with the newest design reflecting the highest capacity and surpassing industry standards in food safety.
  • Dual drive-thru merging into a single pick up and payment lane that can handle upwards of 200 cars an hour, along with a covered canopy for face-to-face customer ordering.

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