Restaurants to Collectively Bring Approximately 340 New Jobs to the Area
SCHERERVILLE, Ind. (Aug. 30, 2021) – Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is excited to announce two new locations opening this month in Indiana. Chick-fil-A Schererville will open for business on Thursday, Sept. 2, and Chick-fil-A Valparaiso will open for business on Thursday, Sept. 9. These two openings will comprehensively create employment opportunities for approximately 340 full- and part-time Team Members and bring the total number of Chick-fil-A locations in Indiana area to 46, excluding licensed and delivery kitchen locations.
Chick-fil-A remains committed to serving guests safely. Chick-fil-A Schererville and Chick-fil-A Valparaiso will both open for drive-thru, carry out and full dine-in service. Each new restaurant will be open for business from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Guests can take advantage of contactless ordering and payment through the free Chick-fil-A® App or through 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 Schererville and Chick-fil-A Valparaiso will each be surprising 100 local heroes making an impact in their local communities with free Chick-fil-A for a year. Additionally, in honor of each new restaurant opening, Chick-fil-A will donate $25,000 to Feeding America ($50,000 total). The funds will be distributed to partners within the greater Northwest Indiana area to aid in the fight against hunger.
Locally Owned and Operated
Each Chick-fil-A restaurant is a locally owned and operated business. Chick-fil-A franchise owners live and work in the community in which their restaurants are located and are highly involved in the day-to-day operations at the restaurant.
Chick-fil-A Schererville (Opening Thursday, Sept. 2)
Chick-fil-A Schererville, located at 315 Indianapolis Blvd, is locally owned and operated by Justin Knight. An Illinois native, Knight has fond memories of eating at Chick-fil-A during road trips with his family, where he loved the food and service. Throughout college, Knight was a campus radio host where he first started to engage with Chick-fil-A during university marketing events. During his radio career, he even covered the opening of Chick-fil-A Orland Park in Chicago, IL with a live broadcast. Knight is excited to continue sharing his passion for the brand as the Operator of Chick-fil-A Schererville and looks forward to building relationships with Team Members and guests in the local community.
“My wife Bethany and our four kids can’t wait to serve our neighbors through this new restaurant,” said Knight. “We look forward to making a positive impact in the lives of our Team Members and guests as we bring the Chick-fil-A experience to Schererville.”
Chick-fil-A Valparaiso (Opening Thursday, Sept. 9)
Valparaiso native David Hershberger has been selected as the Owner/Operator of Chick-fil-A Valparaiso, located at 61 Silhavy Rd. Hershberger started his career with Chick-fil-A as a Team Member in 2015 at Chick-fil-A Mishawaka Main Street in Mishawaka, IN. Through hard work and determination, he quickly worked his way up to a leadership role. He worked in various leadership and business development positions for the brand, helping open more than 12 Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country. Hershberger has called Valparaiso home almost his entire life and is looking forward to positively impacting the community as a local business owner.
“I’m excited to be in my hometown to serve my local community with the opening of Chick-fil-A Valparaiso,” said Hershberger. “Chick-fil-A has played an integral role in shaping me into the person I am today, and I look forward to creating a welcoming environment for our Team Members and guests.”
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 each new Chick-fil-A restaurant visit their Facebook pages and follow along on Instagram:
• Chick-fil-A Schererville: Facebook and Instagram
• Chick-fil-A Valparaiso: Facebook and 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.
