Laura Glogowski’s Full-Circle Return to Waukegan
Chick-fil-A® Waukegan has opened its doors, welcoming the community with a leader whose roots in the area run deep. For local Owner-Operator Laura Glogowski, this opening is a full-circle return to the neighborhood that shaped her resilience.
Laura’s story is one of perseverance. After her family returned to the U.S. from missionary work in New Zealand, they spent two and a half years living in her grandmother’s 450-square-foot basement. Sharing just one bathroom and two bedrooms among a family of five, they relied on SNAP benefits and local food banks to navigate those lean years. “The food banks helped my family for most of my childhood,” Laura explains. This early experience with food insecurity instilled in her a profound understanding of the challenges many families face.
At age 17, Laura began working as a Chick-fil-A Team Member to help contribute to her family’s livelihood. What began as a necessary job evolved into a lifelong career in hospitality. She pursued her degree while continuing to work in the restaurant, eventually joining Chick-fil-A’s Leadership Development Program (LDP). Laura’s trajectory from the front counter to business ownership exemplifies the brand’s commitment to investing in Team Members; she joins the 76% of new local Owner-Operators who began their careers as Team Members.
As a small business owner, Laura is focused on more than just high-quality food; she is focused on people.
“The community of Waukegan is filled with hardworking individuals who are community-centric, faith-based, and family-oriented,” Laura says. “The emphasis on family, faith, and unity are values that I deeply resonate with.”
To support the local economy, Laura will employ 110 local Team Members, providing them with the same mentorship and growth opportunities she once received.
Laura’s personal history with food insecurity has made hunger relief a “non-negotiable” priority. To celebrate the grand opening, she is presenting a $25,000 donation to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, the very organization that once supported her family. This contribution is part of Chick-fil-A’s commitment to supporting local nonprofits that make an immediate impact in their communities.
Additionally, her restaurant will participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table® program, which has donated over 42 million meals to neighbors in need across the U.S. and Canada since 2012.
For Laura, the ultimate goal is to leave every Guest in a better place.
“I believe this small but positive effect on lives will create ripples across the community of Waukegan—from coworkers to classmates, families, and friends,” says Laura. “If every day we can make a few thousand people’s days better, that ripple effect will compound and make Waukegan an even greater place than it is today.”
