11/2/11

Patrons camp out for Chick-l-A opening in Ashburn | LoudounTimes.com

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Patrons camp out for Chick-fil-A opening in Ashburn

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011 by Laura Peters | 26 comments | Email this story

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Libby and Jake Knupp set up their tent outside the new Ashburn Chick-fil-A at 3:30 a.m. Oct. 19 in anticipation of its opening day Oct. 20. In return, Chick-fil-A gives them and the 98 other campers spending the night in the parking lot free Chick-fil-A for a year. The Knupps have attended 79 Chickfil-A grand openings all over the country in the past four years. They give away many of their free meal vouchers to friends and family.Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny

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Libby and Jake Knupp spent their 50th wedding anniversary at their 50th Chick-fil-A grand opening they are now on their 79th grand opening in the past four years. They arrived at 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 19 to be in line for Chick-fil-As first 100 customers to receive their Be Our Guest cards. The card allows each recipient to get 52 free meals for a year. The new Chick-fil-A is set to open on Oct. 20 in Ashburn by the George Washington University Loudoun campus. You never know what youre going to experience. And you can pretty much count on which people are going to be in different locations. I would say there are 30-ish people here that weve seen, Libby Knupp said. I never thought in my life thought Id being doing something like this for my retirement. Sue Jones, marketing and event planner for Chick-fil-A grand openings said that there was a total of 120 people at their new location. Our first 100 event we do for every grand opening of Chick-fil-A. Its a promotion that honors the first 100 customers, Jones said. So the first 100 customers get free Chick-fil-A for a year. They get 52 be our guest cards for a meal. Since there were more than 100 people at the site before opening Chick-fil-A raffled off 100 guest cards to participants. We keep an extra ten if people decide that its a little to rainy or they have to leave, Jones explained. They have to stay until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. They are wrist-banded, we do line checks and its all great fun. The Knupps live in Bunker Hill, W. Va. and have traveled all over America for Chick-fil-A grand openings, spending hundreds of dollars in gas just to get a free year of Chick-fil-A. But, they are generous in their prizes and hand out their free cards to friends and family members. This is so much fun and our children think were nuts, Jake Knupp said. We used to just

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This is so much fun and our children think were nuts, Jake Knupp said. We used to just stand out like this for concerts but you cant beat Chick-fil-A. Bernie Janishefski, 77, of White Marsh, Md. has been doing this for the last three or four years. He is attended about 50 grand openings. All the people that I have met because of Chick-fil-A are just great people, Janishefski said. This is like a little weekend vacation for me. If I dont go to one for a couple months, I start climbing the walls, he joked.
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Janishefski sat in his homemade box that resembles the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich boxes, keeping his legs warm in a plastic bag.

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I really look forward to the grand opening and, the weather, we just dont worry about it. We got our own little box here, Janishefski said. Bad weather, cold weather, it dont matter. Were all having a good time. Janishefski also says that he takes great pleasure in giving coupons to other people and jokes that his Chick-fil-A consumption has made him put on a bit of weight.

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The Chick-fil-A people and the food is great. But, the cleanliness, the personality of Chick-fil-A, they give back to the community. Theyre just not out for the money, Janishefski pointed out. Libby Knupp said she started attending Chick-fil-A grand openings because she hunted for deals by couponing. Im a coupon person. I was reading this newspaper and there was this long article for a Chickfil-A grand opening and it really caught my attention, Libby Knupp said. And there were no coupons so I read on and I thought thats for me. That was the start and the end isnt in sight. Libby Knupp said that she and her husband have traveled around to the different openings and seen the same people, at this opening they knew about 30 people. Cole Miller of Ashburn said that he learned about the give-away two days ago, but has been tracking the construction of the new restaurant, since his apartment is across the street. I came down here, I got here at 5:30 a.m. I didnt realize it was going to be a cattle call like it is, Miller said. I thought I was going to be one of maybe 20 people. I figured it would be a few college kids, but apparently its got a larger following. Miller said he was amazed at the following Chick-fil-A has and said its like a cult following. Im pretty jazzed. I was like, how can I get this? Miller said. I can gloat to everyone that I get free Chick-fil-A. Its a small, but large accomplishment. Chick-fil-A will be working with the Good Shepherd Alliance on Oct. 22 from 6 to 10:30 a.m. collecting non-perishable food items. Each donor will receive a free breakfast entree of their choice.
Susan Ter Bush of Sevierville, Tenn., right, plays Pollyanna, a board game, with her nephew Glenn Mayle of La Plata, Md., while her niece Valerie Chambers of Indian Head, Md., watches, from inside their tent in front of the Chickfil-A opening in Ashburn on Oct. 19. The trio is camping out to be one of the first 100 patrons when the store opens Oct. 20, thereby winning a year's supply of meals from Chick-fil-A. TimesMirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny

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Bernie Janishefski sits in his 'chicken box' that he built for Chick-fil-A grand openings. He has attended more than 50 of them. Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny

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Comments
Tue, Oct 25 at 03:00 PM by steve miller | Report this comment

Looks like hippies setting up a shanty town for the night. Its going to be awesome when they open the Leesburg location
Mon, Oct 24 at 08:04 PM by builder bob | Report this comment

If youre so upset about the vaules of a company, then dont patronize them; its that simple ! Next.

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