What Would You Do For Some Free Chicken?

My brother's childhood friend Joe is staying with us this week while he's on spring break from college. I've known Joe since we were very tiny children, so he's like a second brother to me. Only a lot nicer than my real one. Weird.

Joe, my mom, and I were out about town, running errands, when we come upon a curious sight.

They're building a new Chick-Fil-A near my house, which is set for a grand opening tomorrow. This is good news for me, as I love Chick-Fil-A, even if their religious affiliations make me a wee uncomfortable. And now I don't have to drive half an hour to get to the closest one!

However, when we came upon the soon-to-be-opened Chick-Fil-A, we noticed a lot of hubbaloo. Tons of people, loud music, balloons, and...tents?


We spent a minute trying to figure this out. My mom said, "Surely they can't be camping out for the grand opening of a Chick-Fil-A?" Joe and I agreed. I mean, sure it's good chicken, but camping out all night for it? Madness, I tell you!

Upon closer observation, we noticed the plethora of tents, and the bustle of people gathered around the as-to-be-opened fast food joint. There was a person in a cow costume, which led into a conga line and a random dance-off to the Village People's classic "YMCA".


My favorite might have been this old couple standing in the back, dancing along. Well, the old lady in the turquoise sweatsuit is clearly into it. He husband, from behind at least, clearly wants to go back home and get away from all this nonsense!

So what was this all about then? My mom looked it up when we got home, because she was so baffled by the idea of people camping out for fast food. It turns out that this is a thing that Chick-Fil-A has been doing at their grand openings. I don't know if they've been doing this all along, or if the dwindling economy has forced them to do great big publicity stunts like this. I would guess it's the latter. But the deal is thus: The line starts forming 24 hours before the grand opening (and I think Chick-Fil-A tends to open at like 5:30 or 6:00 AM). The first hundred people in get one free meal a week...for a whole year. So all of these people had gathered, pitched tents, and were waiting around for the chance to get free chicken for an entire year. There's an excellent article here about a Chick-Fil-A opening in Bakersfield, California. Apparently there are people who hardcore road trip to these things.

The question I must ask you all is thus - what would you be willing to do for some free chicken? I mean, I'm not really willing to camp out for anything (not even for the pure sake of camping), but I know some might.

Chrispy, I don't suppose Cane's has this rabid fantacism to it, does it? Because that's some delicious, underrated chicken, right there.