Thursday, December 17, 2009
Restaurant openings The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 7:26 AM
A side effect of the rash of new chain restaurant openings in the past few months has been the queues of people lining up the day before to camp out and receive a shot at buffalo wings/burritos/chicken tenders for a year.
Of course the chain's definition of "free _blank_ for a year" usually means a card good for a free portion once a week. Still, 52 freebie Chipotle burritos is not a bad thing...for your gastroenterologist.
From what was visible on the early morning news show live remotes, the camp of expectant folks waiting in the Nashville West parking lot for the opportunity to get free Buffalo Wild Wings for a year looked like a heckuva party. Between bonfires and beer pong tables and corn hole, it could have easily been a tailgater for a college football game. Except somebody else was providing the food.
A recent episode of public radio's This American Life offered a fascinating, more intimate glimpse into the lives of these freebie seekers, some of whom travel from opening to opening like hippies following the Dead or Phish. Comedian-musician Dave Hill and writer Shaina Feinberg headed down to Orlando, Fla., to experience the night before the opening of a new Chick-fil-A franchise in a sketchy neighborhood.
To listen along, point your browser to the TAL website and fast forward to about 28:00 in. Don't be afraid to leave a buck in the PayPal tip jar to help support the podcast. Sometimes, it's the only thing that gets me through an hour on the treadmill.
Comments (4)
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When I was in college, I camped out for free Chick-fil-A for a year (number one combo). It was December, the week before finals, and it was sleeting, but it's one of the best college memories I have.
The folks at Chick-fil-A were there all night too and distributed free coffee and hot chocolate. They even opened the doors to the restaurant early and gave everyone in line free breakfast!
I personally think it's a great marketing tool. Almost every time I went to redeem my free meal, I brought someone else with me who paid for their meal. It also made me a Lifer... I don't eat much fast food now but if do, it's almost always Chick-fil-A (waffle fries, anyone?).
Would I have eaten there without the free meals? Sure. But now I have so many memories associated with the restaurant all because of the free meals, which makes it that much more special to me.
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I stood in line for the free Chiptole burrito when they opened, and again for the free tshirt the next day. I was planning on BW's but... yeah, didn't make that one. I heard people were camped out overnight, and that's not my style. Both Chipotle waits were under an hour.
