Warrenton, Virginia Chick-fil-A Grand Opening

So my Chick-fil-A restaurant officially opened its doors to the adoring public this morning.  I think I was 'customer number four' at the counter shortly after 6:30am.  The gal in the drive thru got a chuckle when I showed up 90 minutes later, wife and dogs with me, to order breakfast for the whole family.  Their first, my second.  I told her I might be back for lunch.  Dinner not out of the question either.

The official tally:  114 hardy souls received a year's supply of combo meals, a nice reward for braving an overnight stay that included some traditional 'welcome to Virginia' wind and rain to kick off the spring season.  So what, you might ask, is the secret sauce of Chick-fil-A?  What inspires droves of rabid - and incredbily well mannered - fans to drive hundreds of miles to camp out in tents?  (one guy I intervied today has been to 19 grand openings).  It's not just the free food.  And there really isn't a secret sauce, at least not in the way you think of when referring to barbeque joints.  But I like the term secret sauce, for those  businesses that really 'get it' ... that know how to inspire Consumer Passion. 

Chick-fil-A definitely has it's own sauce. It's one part Fantastic Food, one part Unique Business Playbook (closed on Sundays an example, hard core hiring process another), one part Top Notch Customer Service, and one part Quirky Character (they don't take themselves too seriously, and their branding is funny in a goofy, homespun way).  It's amazing how you can set yourself apart by having your employees say simple things like "how are you today?" (and mean it), or "my pleasure" when you ask them for something or thank them.  The considerate and service-oriented nature of the staff is really far superior to any other quick food joint on the planet. Makes you wonder why other places don't concentrate on something that is within their control:  Treat people really, really nice, employees included.  It can be done.  Chick-fil-A is proof of that.

One last Qik.com video interview to share, via my Nokia N95, and courtesy of four tired but willing campers from Washington, DC, who I cornered while they were eating breakfast. One note:  shooting video with mobile devices to platforms like Qik require the use of cell networks to access the Net. My area is not 3G yet, and that makes for difficult shooting.  The connection will suddenly cut off, and won't stream live properly.   So this last video ended a couple of minutes early, cutting off some of the best content.  Oh well, it'll have to do.  It gives a flavor of the event, and the people.  The whole grand opening experience was a hoot, and I met some great folks.   The breakfast interview is here ... and thanks for stopping by ConsumerPassion.