Restaurant Will Employ Approximately 110 Team Members
BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (Oct. 3, 2019) – Chick-fil-A will open Bainbridge’s first Chick-fil-A at 1451 Tallahassee Hwy. on Oct. 3, bringing its handcrafted food and award-winning customer service, commitment to community engagement and hands-on mentoring for more than 110 newly hired Team Members.
About Operator Kolby Shepherd
Bainbridge franchise Operator Kolby Shepherd, who was born in Macon, Ga. and grew up in Dublin, Ga., is used to reaching high goals in life, having achieved NCAA First Team All-American in Pole Vault while in college. He put forth that same determination into becoming a Chick-fil-A Operator, which is no small feat as the company receives 60,000 applications for approximately 100 annual franchise opportunities.
Shepherd’s wife, Ana Jane, was also born in Georgia in Thomaston. They both grew up with fathers who were business owners, planting the entrepreneurship seed early in their lives. Coupled with Kolby having grown up eating Chick-fil-A and recognizing the brand’s great food and unique approach that employees take with guests, pursuing becoming an Operator seemed like the natural course for him to take. Following college, he went to work at a Chick-fil-A in Lynchburg, Va., before being accepted into the company’s Leadership Development Program. He traveled the country for more than two years helping to open and manage
Chick-fil-A restaurants before being selected as Operator of the new Bainbridge Chick-fil-A.
“I am excited to return to South Georgia with my family to serve the Bainbridge community within and outside our restaurant,” said Shepherd, who brings six years of Chick-fil-A experience to the new opportunity. “I am excited to develop my Team Members with care as together we provide a remarkable experience to our guests, who become part of our family.”
Restaurant details
Shepherd’s nearly 5,000-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:
- multi-ordering lane drive-thru with an outside accessible door and 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.
- 114-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. 2. 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.
Chick-fil-A in South Georgia
There are nine Chick-fil-A restaurants within a 50-mile radius of the new Bainbridge restaurant, with the closest one located 32 miles south in Tallahassee, Fla. The opening is part of the 120 new restaurants slated to open nationwide, creating more than 10,000 jobs. For restaurant information, visit its Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cfabainbridge/.
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. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,480 restaurants in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.
Chick-fil-A reported more than $10 billion in revenue in 2018, which marks 51 consecutive years of sales growth. A leader in customer service satisfaction, consumers voted Chick-fil-A, Inc. #4 in Harris Poll’s annual corporate reputation survey, ranking the company 4th out of 100 in 2018. Chick-fil-A was also recognized for customer experience again in the 2018 Temkin Experience Ratings survey, was named “Best Franchise Brand” in 2018 by Airport Revenue News and was named one of the top 100 best places to work by Glassdoor in 2017. Continuing its founder’s legacy of generosity and service, in 2019 Chick-fil-A’s Remarkable Futures initiative awarded $15.3 million in scholarships to restaurant Team Members nationwide. In 2018 the company’s philanthropic Chick-fil-A Foundation awarded $1.23 million to 22 not-for-profit organizations across 18 states through the True Inspiration Awards. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com.
