Ava Sarnowski
Intern
Chick-fil-A reopened its doors to the public June 24 following a remodel that included a renovated kitchen, a double drive-through and a newly redesigned dining room.
At the time of the ribbon-cutting and rededication ceremony, Chick-fil-A had already opened preparing meals for early-morning customers.
Stacey Dunn, Vice President Marketing and Sales for Temecula’s Chick-fil-A was the first to welcome the crowd that had gathered at the popular eatery at 40531 Margarita Road in Temecula.
Owner of Chick-fil-A Temecula Jim Toth celebrated the occasion alongside his wife, children, family members, the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce and numerous city of Temecula officials, staff and management. Also in attendance was Chick-fil-A’s mascot, a cow, who in an effort to save himself, encourages people to eat more chicken.
Toth has served the community for more than seven years and he spoke about his constant efforts in wishing to be a better servant for not only his community, but his family and his staff.
It was a day to celebrate the store’s impact, influence and love for the community.
Representatives from the city of Temecula that were in attendance that day included Mayor Pro Tem Zak Schwank, City Manager Aaron Adams, Economic Development Manager Christine Damko and Deputy City Manager Luke Watson.
Schwank was the first to present Toth with a Certificate Of Recognition from the city of Temecula. He congratulated Toth for the reopening of the store and reaffirmed that the business was responsible for making the community a better place.
Elaine Bartolome, membership director at Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce, expressed her thanks at being invited to the event, calling on CEO and Chamber Brooke Nunn who presented Toth with an Assembly Certificate of Recognition for his dedication to the store.
Nunn was followed by Habitat for Humanity’s executive director, Tammy Marine. After congratulating both Toth and his team, Marine presented a Certificate in Commemoration for their efforts.
“On behalf of the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors, Staff, Ambassadors and members, we extend our best wishes in hopes for continued success in all your future endeavors. Thank you for your partnership with the Temecula Valley business community,” Marine read aloud.
Stories were shared about the positive influence brought on by the store, while also praising the job opportunities Chick-fil-A offers.
After the ribbon cutting, attendees were guided into the refurbished kitchen for a tour.
Toth and his employees deemed that the back of the house, or the heart of the house, was the engine room of their establishment. The preparation area was lined with fresh ingredients straight from central California, while their raw chicken was properly handled elsewhere in the kitchen. Toth described how 85% of the remodel was done strictly for his employees.
Anything that they could do to allow them to work for eight hours comfortably in an environment where hundreds of customers drop by every single day was done, Toth said, adding that by making employees’ jobs easier, it makes those employees happier, and that happiness extends down to guests.
Toth said that the building and equipment had grown tired after 16 years of operation and was lacking the invocations the Chick-fil-A corporation had developed over the years, making the remodel necessary so his team could serve in an updated environment.
According to Toth, the store was completely gutted. The electrical, plumbing, floors, ceilings and everything connected to it is now brand new. Now with a larger kitchen and a double drive-through, they can keep up with the fast-paced business to better serve those who enjoy the food they produce.
“The goal of the multi-million dollar project was to give my team a comfortable, high performance production facility that allowed us to serve our community faster and more efficiently than ever before. We feel like we accomplished that,” Toth said.
Remodeling efforts could even be seen in the newly remodeled dining room which was complete with fresh flowers on each table.
Chick-fil-A Temecula is open Monday through Thursday, from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, it opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m. For customers wishing to grab breakfast, Chick-fil-A serves it from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m.
The business remains closed on Sundays, in order to preserve the tradition that founder S. Truett Cathy established back when he was just getting started.
