Five years ago, nearly 500 people lined up at the Briarcliff Commons mall in Morris Plains by 5 a.m. for a little breaded chicken. Not just any breaded chicken, of course. The crowd turned out for the debut of Morris County’s first Chick-fil-A, the chain restaurant sensation known for its devoted fanbase.
So Parsippany residents may want to anticipate a rare morning traffic delay on westbound Route 46 come 6:30 a.m. next Thursday, May 2, when Chick-fil-A is due to open its second Morris location. Morning commuters are used to heavy vehicle volumes heading east to New York. The question is, how many people can’t wait until lunch to “Eat Mor Chikin,” as the company slogan goes?
A news release announcing the opening said the restaurant would bring 115 jobs to Parsippany and would participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program, an initiative that redirects surplus food from the company’s outlets to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits in need.
To mark this latest outpost, the company will donate $25,000 to Feeding America to support the local hunger reliefefforts of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Chick-fil-A also will honor “100 local heroes” making an impact in the Parsippany area by providing them with free entreĢes for a year, according to the statement.