On a cloudless, unusually warm February morning, cries of “We want chicken!” rang out in Cicero. More than 150 people had lined up to take part in a phenomenon new to central New York: Chick-fil-A.

On Wednesday, the Cicero Chick-fil-A — set to open Thursday morning — offered 100 people a year of free chicken in exchange for some community service. Owner Jimmer Szatkowski issued gift cards good for 52 free chicken sandwich meals — once a week for a year — to those 100 people, who agreed to spend a day serving the community. The Cicero Chick-fil-A, which is about 15 minutes from the Syracuse University campus, will be the first of four central and upstate New York franchises.

“When we were thinking about what we wanted to do here, my wife and I said it would be a really cool thing to kinda take a big first step in showing what Chick-fil-A is really about to partner with a day of service,” Szatkowski said.

More than 150 people showed up in the restaurant’s parking lot by 6 a.m. Wednesday. Everyone was given a raffle ticket, and those whose numbers matched the first 100 tickets drawn got the opportunity to go on the First 100 Road Trip.

Szatkowski, his wife and his three children participated in the community service as well. The group went to two sites to volunteer: the Samaritan Center, a renovated church that serves a warm meal to those in need, and Francis House, a place for hospice care. The group brought surprise Chick-fil-A for lunch to Francis House residents.

Szatkowski, a former IBM employee, was told by a colleague that he should put some thought into being a Chick-fil-A owner. Szatkowski said about 40,000 people submit applications to be an owner each year, and the corporation opens about 100 restaurants annually. He said as he was pulled through the selection process, he felt better about the prospect of owning a Chick-fil-A and leaving IBM.

“I just had this growing feeling that this might be what God wants me to do with the second half of my career,” said Szatkowski, an upstate New York native. “Use Chick-fil-A as a platform for really impacting the lives of other people.”

Szatkowski and his family discussed ways to own an impactful restaurant, and they decided to focus on two key areas in the Syracuse community: high school students and veterans. Szatkowski hired students from local schools to help them grow as leaders and hired veterans.

Event attendees said they were excited for free chicken and community service. Tom Mattimore, who’s lived in Cicero for 46 years, showed up at 4:30 a.m. for the First 100 Road Trip and year’s worth of free chicken.

Mattimore said he hasn’t looked at Chick-fil-A’s menu yet, but likes “normal chicken.”

David Chuvik, the second person called in the raffle, ran around the parking lot in excitement when he won. He said he was more excited for the community service, and that the chicken was just a bonus.

“I’m probably gonna come here more than once a week,” Chuvik said.

Szatkowski said he was excited to bring Chick-fil-A to the Syracuse area, adding that he’s ready to leave a positive impact on others.

“This is the best day I’ve had in a long time,” he said. “I can’t wait to get on these buses.”

The Chick-fil-A will open to the public on Thursday at 6:30 a.m.

Published on February 21, 2018 at 10:42 pm

Contact Catherine: ccleffer@syr.edu | @ccleffert