Chick-fil-A Coming to Nashua

Chick-fil-A will open its first stand-alone restaurant in New Hampshire this fall expanding its award-winning menu and customer service with its tradition of quality and excellence in the market while creating at least 80 new jobs.

Anthony Piccola has been selected as owner/operator of the new restaurant. He will be joined by community dignitaries at the restaurant site at 377 Amherst St. in Nashua at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 26, kicking off the official countdown to the grand opening which continues the chain’s continuing expansion into New England. The restaurant is projected to open within the next six weeks.

The New Hampshire stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant comes as the chain opens its first stand-alone restaurants in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island this year. The opening in Nashua comes 15 years after the chain opened its first and only location in the state inside the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua in 1999. The new restaurant on Amherst will offer interior seating for 140 with additional patio dining. The restaurant includes dual drive-thru ordering lanes to expand its award-winning drive-thru service. Customers will be able to stay connected through the restaurant’s free Wi-Fi and parents will appreciate the indoor play area that includes an interactive section for toddlers.

The new location, which will create at least 80 new jobs, will make it easier for area residents to “Eat Mor Chikin” on the go. Currently the closest stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant with drive-thru service is about 50 miles away in Westborough, MA.

Chick-fil-A will celebrate the grand opening of the new Nashua restaurant by giving away a one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A meals (a digital offer card loaded with 52 free Chick-fil-A meals) to the first 100 adults in line on opening day. The “First 100” celebration draws Chick-fil-A’s most loyal fans who arrive up to 24 hours in advance with tents, TVs, computers, gaming systems and other gear to pass the time while camping out overnight. Since the event began in October 2003, Chick-fil-A has given away more than $21.5 million in free food. For more information, visit chick-fil-a.com/Locations/First-100-Details.

A New Hampshire native, Piccola has operated the chain’s location inside Pheasant Lane Mall since 2009. He first became familiar with the Chick-fil-A while attending the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., where he earned degrees in hospitality and business administration. He became a manager of a location there and worked as an interim manager at various locations before being selected as operator back in his native New Hampshire five years ago. Piccola, his wife, Sarah, and their two sons, are thrilled to be opening New Hampshire’s first stand-alone Chick-fil-A restaurant.

“This new stand-alone Chick-fil-A provides the ideal opportunity expand the positive impact Chick-fil-A can have on my hometown,” said Piccola. “I couldn’t be more excited to bring Chick-fil-A’s award-winning drive-thru service, freshly prepared food, now including breakfast, and signature customer service to this new restaurant.”

The new Nashua Chick-fil-A is one of 93 stand-alone, in-line and drive-thru restaurants the chain plans to open nationally this year, creating more than 7,000 new jobs. Chick-fil-A continued to grow in 2013, increasing the number of new restaurants initially planned for the year and reporting record-setting annual sales of more than $5 billion.

Chick-fil-A’s signature chicken sandwich was recently named the tastiest chicken sandwich in Consumer Reports 2014 Fast Food Survey of 32,405 readers, repeating the results of the magazine’s last fast food report in 2011. Respondents, who were asked about their experiences at 65 fast food chains, not only said Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwich was the best tasting but also rated Chick-fil-A as number one overall out of 65 chains in customer service and cleanliness. In addition, the chain was a 2013 winner of Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual recognition of “the best the restaurant industry has to offer.” The annual award, given to five industry recipients this year, honors chains who have a proven track record of leadership, operational excellence, market performance, innovation and community involvement.

Chick-fil-A fans can stay up to date on the restaurant’s construction and grand opening activities by visiting the restaurant’s Facebook page at facebook.com/chickfilasomersetplaza.

Submitted text. Courtesy photo.