Citizens of Statesboro were overjoyed Thursday morning for the return of Chick-fil-a.

After four months of being without an off-campus Chick-fil-a, the people of Statesboro and other surrounding cities packed the brand-new restaurant and drive thru.

Chick-fil-a’s Northside Drive location closed on March 22nd for rebuild. The new building showcases the newest interior design and decor package available.

Malik Holliman has been an employee at the Chick-fil-a for three years and is proud of the new building.

“The front counter area is so much better because it is offset from the dining room so it allows the customers to have their own experience aside from the customers ordering,” Holliman said. 

The drive thru now wraps around what was the front of the building and a canopy protects the vehicles and workers during inclement weather.

According to Hollman, the renovations have made the restaurant all around more efficient and give customers a completely different experience.

The layout of the inside is an open-concept dining room with high-top tables, traditional tables, and community tables for larger parties. 

Shanika Bell shared that she and her kids came to the restaurant this morning to enjoy breakfast and the indoor playground.

“The kids were excited about coming to the playground,” Bell said. “I like [the building], especially the playground since it is inside.”

Some customers were in line long before the fryers started up. Serio Arreguin and Ryan Jackson were two of those guests. 

Arreguin, a regular at Chick-fil-a, was the fourth customer to be served at the reopening.

“I pulled up my lawn chair at 4:15 in the morning,” Arreguin said. “Chick-fil-a is my jam. The new building is fantastic. I definitely love the redesign. The traffic flow looks like it is going along much smoother.”

Sarah Smith, The George-Anne News Editor, gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu