Restaurant to Bring Approximately 120 Full- and Part-Time Jobs to Community
NEW YORK (Feb. 22, 2021) – Chick-fil-A® Jackson Heights 82nd Street In-Line, located between Roosevelt Avenue and Ithaca Street in the borough of Queens, is slated to open for business on Thursday, Feb. 24. Chick-fil-A, Inc. has selected Aman Mekonen as the independent franchised Owner/Operator of this new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Jackson Heights. Mekonen will be responsible for all day-to-day activities of the business, including employing approximately 120 full-time and part-time Team Members, cultivating relationships with local organizations and neighboring businesses, and serving Guests. Chick-fil-A Jackson Heights 82nd Street In-Line is located at 4027 82nd Street and will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
At Chick-fil-A, safe service is our first priority. Chick-fil-A Jackson Heights 82nd Street In-Line will open for carry-out only. Third-party delivery will be available shortly after opening. Guests can take advantage of contactless ordering and payment through the free Chick-fil-A mobile app or through online ordering. To learn more about Chick-fil-A’s response to the coronavirus, please visit our safe service page.
In place of the traditional Chick-fil-A First 100® Grand Opening celebration, Chick-fil-A Jackson Heights 82nd Street In-Line will be surprising 100 local heroes making an impact in Queens with free Chick-fil-A for a year. Additionally, Chick-fil-A donates $25,000 to Feeding America for every new restaurant opening. To aid in the fight against hunger, this donation will go towards organizations in the greater Queens area that are doing good work to care for others.
Locally Owned and Operated
Born in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Aman Mekonen is honored to open a Chick-fil-A restaurant in New York City, where he first set foot in the U.S. at the age of eight. With a bachelor’s degree from Penn State, a master’s degree from Fordham University and previous work experience with the U.S. Army, UBS, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Greystone & Co, he brings extensive operations-focused experience to the job. Since his first interaction with Chick-fil-A during his time at Penn State, Mekonen always enjoyed the experience of visiting the restaurants and had aspirations of owning his own business one day. After learning more about Chick-fil-A’s focus on giving back to the community, he knew Chick-fil-A was where he wanted to pursue this goal.
Mekonen met his wife, Sunny, at Goldman Sachs where they worked together. The couple have lived in New York City for the past fifteen years and recently moved to Flushing, Queens with their son, and are excited to serve the local community. In his spare time, Mekonen enjoys reading, weight training, hiking, traveling, spending time with his family and volunteering.
“I’m elated to have the opportunity to offer Chick-fil-A’s delicious food and signature hospitality to the diverse community of Jackson Heights,” said Mekonen. “I look forward to building future leaders by providing opportunities and helping to remove the roadblocks that people may encounter in their lives. I want my restaurant to be a place where all feel welcomed, respected and honorably served.”
Team Member Investment
Chick-fil-A franchised Operators are committed to hiring, developing, and retaining top talent, and providing a great work environment for people of all ages and backgrounds. They also offer their Team Members opportunities for flexible work hours and leadership growth, competitive pay and benefits, hands-on training and mentoring, and the chance to apply for scholarships to support their continuing education. As with all Chick-fil-A restaurants, Team Members are guaranteed Sundays off.
Quality Ingredients; Delicious Food
Chick-fil-A focuses on serving customers great-tasting food made with high quality ingredients. The produce we use in our recipes is delivered to our kitchens up to six times a week. Our salads are made with whole fruits and vegetables that are chopped and prepared fresh throughout the day. Chick-fil-A Lemonade is made from three simple ingredients: lemon juice, sugar and water.
Our breaded chicken is pressure cooked in 100%, fully refined peanut oil and all U.S. Chick-fil-A restaurants now serve chicken raised with No Antibiotics Ever, starting from the egg. By not allowing antibiotics of any kind, Chick-fil-A chicken meets the highest commitment for non-antibiotic use. For more information about the Chick-fil-A No Antibiotics Ever commitment, visit www.chick-fil-a.com/no-antibiotics-ever.
Commitment to Customer Service
With a longstanding tradition in the restaurant industry for setting high standards in customer service, Chick-fil-A earned recognition for providing the "best fast food customer service in America" according to America's Best Customer Service 2020 report by Newsweek, among other honors.
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. For the latest news and updates on Chick-fil-A Jackson Heights 82nd Street In-Line, visit the Chick-fil-A Jackson Heights 82nd Street In-Line Facebook page and follow along on Instagram.
About Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its Original Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,600 restaurants in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.
A leader in customer service satisfaction, Chick-fil-A was named top fast food restaurant in Newsweek’s 2019 America’s Best Customer Service report and received several honors in QSR’s 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards, including “The Most Respected Quick-Service Brand” and “Best Brand for Overall Experience”. Additionally, Glassdoor named Chick-fil-A one of the top 100 best places to work in 2020. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com.
