Chick-fil-A construction ‘flying’

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Everybody wants to tell Rodney Jackson how excited they are for the Vestavia Hills Chick-fil-A to open. As the operator of the store and a second location in Homewood, Jackson is excited, too.

“We have wanted to be in Vestavia for so many years, and this is just a mature community as far as development is concerned,” he said. “People come in, and they don’t want to leave, therefore spaces don’t come available very often.”

Chick-fil-A is under construction at the former City Hall site, 513 Montgomery Highway. After months of site preparation — including leveling out the property’s former incline — Jackson said construction is “flying.” The restaurant will officially open on Thursday, July 21.

Vestavia’s Chick-fil-A will be fairly large, seating 136 people inside and 28 outside in addition to the children’s play area. There will be two drive-through ordering lanes, similar to Jackson’s other location in the Wildwood shopping center, feeding into a single pickup lane.

Jackson said the kitchen is also sizable, with two sets of hot and cold prep areas.

Chick-fil-A is working with the city to make entering and exiting the property from Montgomery Highway as smooth as possible, including extending a southbound turning lane and having two exit points.

Jackson said this location will be able to handle more catering requests due to the size of its kitchen. The interior of the restaurant will have what Jackson described as a “retro” feel, with decorations reminiscent of the early years of Chick-fil-A. One of the centerpieces of the restaurant will be a rustic family table provided by A Better Way Ministries, an addiction treatment organization. The ministry partners to provide these tables in many Chick-fil-A locations.

“It’s going to be a beautiful store,” Jackson said.

Chick-fil-A is known for its grand opening events. Marketing director Lyndsey Jackson, who is also Rodney Jackson’s daughter-in-law, said the Vestavia location will invite customers to camp out prior to the opening, as the first 100 people through the door get a free Chick-fil-A meal each week for a year.

However, Vestavia Hills will have a week of festivities, some of which will be brand new. One of the activities will be similar to a scavenger hunt around the city. Starting at 6 a.m. on July 20, the day before the store opens, the "First 100" will qualify, then have until 2 p.m. to visit three Vestavia Hills locations. A winner will be drawn from those who successfully return from the scavenger hunt, and the winner will receive a free Chick-fil-A sandwich meal each week for a year. Official rules are listed on the restaurant's Facebook page. 

There’s the possibility of a lemon-squeezing contest.

“It’ll be fun for families, especially since it’ll be in the summertime,” Lyndsey Jackson said.

Lyndsey Jackson encouraged residents to follow the Vestavia Chick-fil-A on Facebook to keep up with opening week plans.

Rodney Jackson has a long history with Chick-fil-A. He and his father opened the first Alabama Chick-fil-A in 1974 in Homewood’s Brookwood Village, and he said his father still operates the Hoover location. Rodney Jackson has been a franchisee himself for 32 years, and opening a Vestavia location has been on his wish list for years.

“This is just an opportunity that I’ve wanted for a long time in Vestavia, and when the decision was made to build this store, it was the right decision to come over here,” Rodney Jackson said.

Once the store is open, he said Chick-fil-A will be involved in the community, especially the local schools, and participate in Family Nights and Spirit Nights.

“This is a perfect community to have those kinds of events,” Rodney Jackson said.