When Caleb Pedersen told his colleagues he was going to miss work on Wednesday, they wanted to know why, and he was a little embarrassed to tell them the truth.
He did, though, and his co-workers laughed.
Pedersen, 28, missed work at his investment firm because he was camping out in the parking lot of Vancouver’s first Chick-fil-A, which opens 6 a.m. Thursday. He wasn’t the only one.
When Chick-fil-A opens a new restaurant, it awards free meals for a year to the first 100 people in line who live in nearby ZIP codes. The promotion turned the parking lot at the restaurant, 16400 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., into the city’s hottest campground for one night.
Guests were allowed to start lining up at 6 a.m. Wednesday, although many arrived even earlier. By the time 6 a.m. rolled around Wednesday, 76 people were already waiting, said John Dombroski, 27, the franchise location’s owner.
“We got to 100 people by around 1 this afternoon,” Dombroski said.
The first three people in line showed up much earlier than 6 a.m. Hazel Dell residents Nick McRaney, 18, and Taylor Olson, 20, arrived at 11 p.m. Tuesday, but were kicked off the property by security. They picked up their friend Mat Philibert, 20, and returned at midnight. They were kicked out again.
They spent some time in a nearby Olive Garden parking lot, where they tossed around a football. They plopped down their chairs in front of the roped-off area around 4 a.m. and waited.
“I’m mad,” Olson said. “I wanted to be first. It was my idea to come here and wait in line, and (Philibert) is just a faster walker than me, so he got it.”
The three didn’t plan much for the day. They brought three chairs and expected to sit there for a while. Food-wise, they stuck to the essentials: two bags of potato chips, some peanut butter crackers, two boxes of Cheez-Its and one bottle of water. Friends brought them a tent later.
Pedersen and his wife, April Pedersen, 27, were a bit more prepared both for themselves and for others. They brought a tent, blow-up mattress, snacks, games, a laptop and a spool with about 200 feet of extension cords so they could charge their phones and computer. By 2 p.m. Wednesday, neighbors and new friends left their phones outside the Pedersen tent to be charged while orange extension cords shot out to various parts of the campsite.
“It’s ‘BYOP’ out here,” April Pedersen said. “Bring your own power.”
She called the Chick-fil-A campout a “mini-vacation,” as their three children spent the night with grandparents.
“When we saw they were building a Chick-fil-A down the road, we had no excuse not to come out,” Caleb Pedersen said.
Pedersen’s co-workers even brought them some lunch Wednesday afternoon. As part of their agreement, Caleb Pedersen has to bring in some Chick-fil-A Thursday morning.
The Pedersens and the first three guys in line said restaurant employees have treated them well and were making sure the 100 or so campers were having fun by leading them in games.
The campers even got some free food throughout Wednesday. It was the first time Philibert and McRaney had ever tried Chick-fil-A, so they were happy to learn they were camping out for food they actually enjoyed eating.
The three decided to camp out because they’re all about to get busy soon. Olson and McRaney start classes at Clark College next week, and Philibert reports to Army basic training in Oklahoma later this month.
‘Time to celebrate’
Before Dombroski started working for Chick-fil-A about five years ago, he also served in the Army, as well as the Air Force.
“I fell in love with the idea of flying a plane off a ship,” he said.
After getting out, he started working for Chick-fil-A in Pensacola, Fla., after meeting the local franchise owner. He learned every aspect of the business he could, starting with making fries. He eventually worked for corporate, most recently managing franchise transitions after an owner sold a restaurant or retired.
The Vancouver location is Dombroski’s first.
“I’m just ready to open the doors,” he said Wednesday. “All the work has been done and now it’s time to celebrate.”
Opening days at Chick-fil-A are celebrations, he added. Besides the first-100 promotion, there will be a DJ playing music, an appearance from the restaurant’s cow mascot and food giveaways.
He also said security will be at the restaurant overnight to make sure the campers are safe, and there will be people directing traffic in the area throughout Thursday.
“We’re expecting a crowd since there’s never been a Chick-fil-A in Vancouver,” he said. “We’ll be working to get people on and off the property smoothly to mitigate any traffic issues.”
Dombroski said trainers will be on hand to work with his employees, many of whom have never worked at or been to a Chick-fil-A.
“I looked to hire energetic employees who wanted a place to grow,” he said. “We wanted people with a learner’s mentality who would be interested in learning everything about running a restaurant. We want to be hospitable and a place for everyone to come, relax and enjoy a hot meal.”
Dombroski also mentioned that the company could look to add another 10 to 12 restaurants in the Portland area, and if the Vancouver location does well, it’s possible that another Chick-fil-A could come to Clark County.
