Restaurant Brings Approximately 120 Full- and Part-Time Jobs to Community, Honors 100 Local Heroes with Free Chick-fil-A Entrées for a Year

BELLEVUE, Wis. (Sept. 25, 2024) – A new Chick-fil-A^® restaurant will begin serving the Bellevue community on Thursday, Oct. 3. Chick-fil-A, Inc. has selected Preston Waala as the independent franchised local Owner-Operator of Chick-fil-A Bellevue. 

Located at 2153 Monroe Road, Chick-fil-A Bellevue will be open for dine-in, drive-thru, carry-out and Mobile Thru from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday.  

This restaurant will be the second Chick-fil-A serving the greater Green Bay area. 

Locally Owned and Operated
Chick-fil-A’s franchise model is essential to how the restaurant serves others. Most Chick-fil-A restaurants are owned and operated by a single individual, which means Chick-fil-A’s local Owner-Operators are small business owners, not passive investors, who work in their restaurants side by side with their Team Members each day. 

In Bellevue, Waala will be responsible for all day-to-day activities of the business, including employing approximately 120 full- and part-time Team Members, serving Guests, cultivating relationships with local organizations and businesses, and tailoring philanthropic efforts to meet the Bellevue community’s needs.  

Born and raised in Waupaca, Wisconsin, America’s Dairyland has been home to Waala for his entire life. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Waala served the local Green Bay community as a Mortgage Processor and Personal Banker for several years, but with his entrepreneurial spirit, he felt drawn to the idea of owning his own business. 

Waala was curious to learn more about Chick-fil-A’s growth in Wisconsin and reached out to the closest restaurant at the time to learn more about the company. Milwaukee-based local Owner-Operator Jim Frasier shared his experience as a small business owner, and after several conversations, extended an offer for Waala to join the restaurant as a manager.  

Waala moved south to gain leadership experience at Frasier’s Chick-fil-A restaurant in Milwaukee, and he soon set sights on the opportunity to expand Chick-fil-A’s signature hospitality and delicious food within his home state. Waala has long been passionate about the sport of curling, where he earned National and State titles through a blend of teamwork, determination and of course, fun. It’s this mentality that Waala will bring with him as he becomes the local Owner-Operator at Chick-fil-A Bellevue. 

“Growing up in Wisconsin, I have always been passionate about seemingly simple, but such important things: quality time and delicious food. I love Bellevue for its Midwestern charm, and I am excited to offer this tight knit community a place to gather and enjoy our great-tasting food with friends, neighbors, teammates and more,” said Waala. “From curling to the restaurant industry, I’ve experienced first-hand the power of mentorship, and now as a local Owner-Operator, I look forward to developing the next generation of leaders in an area that means so much to me.” 

Caring for the Bellevue Community
The Chick-fil-A business is built to add positive impact beyond profit, including giving back to local communities. Chick-fil-A local Owner-Operators are empowered to support the neighborhoods they serve with a key focus on hunger, education, and specific community needs.  

In celebration of the opening, Chick-fil-A, Inc. has donated $25,000 to Feeding America to support local hunger relief efforts of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, a Feeding America partner food bank, in honor of the new restaurant.  

Waala’s restaurant will plan to participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table^® program, an initiative that redirects surplus food from the restaurant to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits in need. To date, more than 30 million meals have been created from Chick-fil-A Shared Table donations from over 2,200 Chick-fil-A restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada.  

In addition, Chick-fil-A Bellevue is recognizing 100 local heroes making an impact in the Bellevue area by providing them with free Chick-fil-A entrées for a year.   

Team Member Investment
Chick-fil-A local Owner-Operators strive to hire, develop and retain top talent, helping future leaders optimize their skills and providing pathways for personal and professional developing in a welcoming, purpose-driven environment. A career at Chick-fil-A offers a wide range of benefits, including hands-on training and mentoring, competitive pay and benefits, the chance to apply for scholarships to support continued education, and the flexibility to thrive in and outside of work. Chick-fil-A’s local Owner-Operators are committed to preparing their team for the future, wherever it may lead. To learn more about careers at Chick-fil-A, click here. 

Delicious Food; Outstanding Customer Service
Chick-fil-A is known for creating a welcoming, remarkable restaurant experience, starting with friendly service, a warm welcome and quality food, including the original Chick-fil-A^® Chicken Sandwich.   

Made with a real, whole, boneless breast of chicken with no added fillers, the breaded chicken is pressure cooked in fully-refined peanut oil. To complement the great-tasting chicken, fresh produce is delivered to Chick-fil-A restaurants up to six times a week for the best quality and flavor. 

Guests of Chick-fil-A Bellevue can place an order for pickup, dine-in, drive-thru and Mobile Thru on the Chick-fil-A^® App or online. When joining the Chick-fil-A One^® tiered membership program,
Chick-fil-A One members receive points on every qualifying purchase which can be used to redeem available rewards.   

For the latest news and updates on Chick-fil-A Bellevue, visit the local restaurant’s Facebook page and follow along on Instagram. For more information about Chick-fil-A and stories about the Brand’s food, people and customers across the country, visit chick-fil-a.com. 

About Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Chick-fil-A, Inc. is the third largest quick-service restaurant company in the United States, known for its freshly-prepared food, signature hospitality and unique franchise model. More than 200,000 Team Members are employed by independent owner-operators in more than 3,000 restaurants across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. In 2023, the company shared plans to expand by 2030 into Europe and Asia.

Chick-fil-A owner-operators live and work in the communities their restaurants serve, each supporting local efforts to address hunger, education, and making a positive impact. The family-owned and privately held company was founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com and @ChickfilANews.

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