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Chick-Fil-A Finds New Home At Danbury Fair Mall

DANBURY, Conn. -- Danbury Fair will be adding a new restaurant to its food court next week -- and the opening of this fast-food eatery comes with much anticipation.

Rich Beattie, 33, is the first-time business owner behind the new Chick-Fil-A franchise opening next week at the Danbury Fair mall.

Rich Beattie, 33, is the first-time business owner behind the new Chick-Fil-A franchise opening next week at the Danbury Fair mall.

Photo Credit: Salvatore Trifilio

The grand opening of Chick-Fil-A, scheduled for Nov. 6, will mark the opening of just the second outlet in Connecticut of the popular Southern brand.

Rich Beattie, a 33-year-old father of three, is the first-time business owner behind the new franchise. He is excited to bring Chick-Fil-A to Danbury, along with a week of events leading up to the Thursday ribbon-cutting.

“In college [my friends and I] used to eat Chick-Fil-A and joked about how one of us would own one some day,” the New Jersey native told the Daily Voice on Tuesday. “I started off breading chicken and eventually became director of operations. … I found an opportunity in Chick-Fil-A and jumped right on it.”

Beattie’s week of events starts on Monday, Nov. 3, with a dedication dinner to “celebrate the opening with the staff.” By opening the franchise at the mall food court, Beattie has created 30 new jobs.

Tuesday is Premier night for the Chick-Fil-A owner, an invite-only event that will include a menu tasting to help spread the word about the new restaurant.

But for Beattie and fans of the Chick-Fil-A chain, the main event will take start at 9 a.m. Wednesday and run through Thursday morning. As per corporate tradition, the first 100 customers at a new Chick-Fil-A restaurant will receive a year’s worth of free meals -- and the lineup begins early.

Beattie confirmed that a year's worth of meals comes to 52 meals from the restaurant. If you are one of the first 100, you will have from Nov. 6 to Dec. 31, 2015, to take advantage of the winnings.

“When the Chick-Fil-A in Brookfield opened, we had about 35 people in the morning and around 100 at midnight,” Beattie said.

Those who do decide to camp out will get three meals and Chick-Fil-A will provide security, rest services and a DJ to help pass the time, he said.

“People come with their tents, and we take care of them,” Beattie said. “Some people even bring their generators and set up their Xboxes for the night.”

An area outside of the Dick’s Sporting Goods and Macy’s has been designated for customers to camp.

Beattie said he and his staff have been preparing for their grand opening since July, and he is ready to “serve fresh high quality food,” to Danbury Fair customers.

“I’m thrilled with the caliber of team members we’ve assembled,” said Beattie. “This is a win for us and the city of Danbury.”

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