Chick-fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day is Tuesday, July 12

By Tim Darnell (Patch Staff)

In one of its most popular and iconic promotions, Chick-fil-A is hosting its annual Cow Appreciation Day on Tuesday, July 12, from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

That means customers have a chance for free food at one of the restaurants' more than 2,000 locations nationwide, including around Bel Air.

Adult customers who dress in any type of cow attire, whether it’s “head-to-hoof” or sporting a cow-spotted accessory, will be rewarded with a free entrée of their choice. Children can receive a free kids meal for dressing in a cow costume.

Here's a list of Chick-fil-A locations in the Bel Air area:

• 1980 Rock Spring Road, Forest Hill
• 408 Constant Friendship Boulevard, Abingdon
• 100 Beards Hill Road, Aberdeen
• 8867 Belair Road, Perry Hall

Based in Atlanta, Chick-fil-A first introduced the Cow campaign in 1995 as a three-dimensional billboard concept depicting a black-and-white cow sitting atop the back of another cow painting the words “Eat Mor Chikin” on the billboard.

Since the first billboard, the “Eat Mor Chikin” Cows have reached millions on television, radio, the internet and the occasional water tower to become one of the nation's most recognizable advertising icons and a member of New York’s Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame.

The company was recently named America's favorite fast food restaurant in an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) report.

Pictured is Molly, one of the real cows behind the “Eat Mor Chikin” campaign, courtesy of Chick-fil-A.