Restaurant to Bring More Than 100 Full- and Part-Time Jobs to Community
Chick-fil-A remains committed to serving guests safely. Chick-fil-A Smallwood Drive will open for dine-in, carry-out, drive-thru and mobile ordering, with third-party delivery available shortly after the opening. Guests can take advantage of contactless ordering and payment through the free Chick-fil-A® App or online ordering. To learn more about Chick-fil-A’s safety protocols, please visit the COVID-19 response page.
In place of the traditional Chick-fil-A First 100® Grand Opening celebration, Chick-fil-A Smallwood Drive will be surprising 100 local heroes making an impact in Charles County with free Chick-fil-A for a year. Additionally, in honor of the new restaurant opening, Chick-fil-A will donate $25,000 to Feeding America. The funds will be distributed to partners within the greater Washington, D.C. area to aid in the fight against hunger.
Locally Owned and Operated
Chick-fil-A Smallwood Drive is locally owned and operated by Virginia native Ken Weikel. A restaurant industry veteran, Weikel started his career with Chick-fil-A as a restaurant Team Member while in college. During this time, Weikel was awarded a Chick-fil-A scholarship to apply toward his bachelor’s degree at Radford University in Radford, Va. Upon graduating, Weikel worked as a Chick-fil-A Business Intern and supported various restaurant locations. In 1991, Weikel arrived in Waldorf and served the community through Chick-fil-A St. Charles Towne Center Mall, where he became the Operator in 1992. Nearly 10 years later, Weikel was selected as the Operator of Chick-fil-A Waldorf. After serving the Waldorf community for almost 30 years, Weikel looks forward to extending his impact on the community, operating both Chick-fil-A Waldorf and Chick-fil-A Smallwood Drive.
“My family and I have called Waldorf home for nearly 30 years, and I am humbled by the opportunity to give back to the community through this new restaurant,” said Weikel. “With the opening of Chick-fil-A Smallwood Drive, I am excited to bring new jobs to Waldorf, mentor our Team Members and serve our guests great-tasting food with our signature hospitality.”
Team Member Investment
Chick-fil-A franchised Operators are committed to hiring, developing and retaining top talent, and providing a positive 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.
Quality Ingredients; Delicious Food
Chick-fil-A focuses on serving customers great-tasting food made with high-quality ingredients. The produce used in recipes is delivered to kitchens up to six times a week. 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.
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 Smallwood Drive, visit the Chick-fil-A Smallwood Drive 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 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.
