Chik-fil-A Fan? First 100 at Opening Thursday Get Free Meals for a Year

Most people who go to the  when it opens Thursday will come away with just a sandwich or two and some waffle fries, but 100 visitors will receive a lot more — a coupon for a Chick-fil-A meal once a week for a year.

The new Springfield branch of the chicken chain, located at 6681-A Backlick Road in Backlick Center, is participating in Chick-fil-A's "First 100" promotion, in which Chick-fil-A fans camp out for 24 hours to get their meal tickets. The "First 100" promotion draws crowds from across the country.

Would-be First 100 winners will have to follow a few rules:

• Participants cannot start lining up outside Chick-fil-A more than 24 hours before the restaurant opens at 6 a.m. on Thursday. That means the wait starts 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
• Aspiring winners cannot bring closed tents, but they can bring open canopies, if they're willing to share with others.
• If more than 100 people are in line at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, the "First 100" spots will be raffled off. 

The 100 batches of 52 meals are worth $26,000, according to a press release from Chick-fil-A. And the First 100 winners won't be the only people benefiting from the new restaurant — the company says the new location has created 80 jobs.  

Not everyone is excited about new Chick-fil-A openings, though. Last year, a gay rights group criticized Chick-fil-A founder's charity for donating $2 million in 2009 to groups seen as opposed to gay rights. When Chick-fil-A announced that in March that it was starting a food truck in the District of Columbia, Washington residents took to Twitter to oppose the company founder's position on gay issues, the Huffington Post reported. 

Patch will hang out with some of the "First 100" Wednesday afternoon — check back for more from the store opening.