GRAND CHUTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – More than 100 Chick-Fil-A fans camped out overnight in the Fox Valley. They were hoping to win free sandwiches for a year as the chicken chain opens its first restaurant in Northeast Wisconsin.
“We will have a random drawing, select 100 official participants with 10 alternates,” Chick-fil-A Appleton Owner Eric Krebs said.
The chance for 52 free chicken meals is bringing out friends, couples and full families. Jessica Tower and her four daughters braved the night for chicken.
“Oh! We’re so excited aren’t we guys? We love Chick-fil-A!”
Tower tells FOX 11 they’ll probably never get this opportunity again.
“It’s a once in a lifetime thing probably, so we decided to go for it.”
The opening is amplifying the “chicken war” between Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.
“Love their food. Best chicken sandwiches. And I think they’re better than Popeyes so I’m just gonna go with that,” Jaylin Johnson, a UW-Oshkosh student said.
Camper Reece Winveen tells FOX 11 he’s trying to decide which he likes more.
“I got to have Popeyes last week, so I kinda wanna try both.”
This opening has been anticipated for a long time.
“Once the restaurant was completed, it’s been like 100 people a day that we’ve had coming up wondering if we’re open,” Krebs said.
Chick-Fil-A is stealing the spotlight tonight, but Popeyes opened up just down the block last week… and it has been slammed.
Popeyes restaurants all over the country ran out of their new chicken sandwiches. The new one in Appleton is no exception.
Customers have been waiting in long lines inside and outside of the restaurant since opening day.
“It’s been crazy. So basically they line up at 10 o’clock, 30 minutes before we open,” Appleton Popeyes CEO Mark Rodriguez said.
College Avenue expected to have plenty of extra traffic as the Popeyes, Chick-Fil-A chicken warn is underway.
