Chick-fil-A gets ready for grand opening

After months of preparations and anticipation, Chick-fil-A owner and operator Brian House and his wife, Tamilla, are looking forward to their grand opening Sept. 8.

Chick-fil-A is a family affair for Brian House, who has one brother owns who a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Memphis, Tenn., and another brother who works at Chick-fil-A's corporate office in Atlanta.

Brian House previously worked as a vice president with Pepsi. He and his wife have lived in Cape Girardeau for nearly 14 years.

"We are thankful that Chick-fil-A wanted to open a free-standing restaurant in Cape and that we were able to be a part of that," said Tamilla House, who serves as the restaurant's marketing director.

The Cape Girardeau restaurant received more than 1,000 job applications and has hired 90 full- and part-time employees.

They're planning a community blitz in which they will be giving away 10,000 to 12,000 free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches. Tents will be set up at various locations throughout the community Thursday to Saturday, Tamilla House said. They'll also be taking lunch to teachers at all Cape Girardeau public schools and several private schools.

Central Tiger fans will get a treat during the tailgate before the first game at their new stadium Friday night when they'll be giving out about 2,000 free chicken sandwiches.

At every Chick-fil-A store opening, the company gives the "First 100" free Chick-fil-A for a year, in the form of 52 free chicken sandwich meal coupons.

People may start lining up at 6 a.m. Sept. 7, Tamilla House said. There will be security in place and people will not be allowed to line up before that time.

If there are more than 100 people in line at 6 a.m., a raffle system will be used to determine the first 100. To win, participants must be 18 years old or older, have a valid photo ID and remain in their designated spot on the premises until the grand opening of the restaurant at 6 a.m. Sept. 8.

To coincide with the grand opening in Cape Girardeau, Chick-fil-A will host the "Cans for a Great Cause" event from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 7. First 100 participants and anyone from the community can bring at least five canned good items for the Southeast Missouri Food Bank and receive a coupon for one free chicken sandwich to be used on opening day Sept. 8. People may bring as many cans as they like, but coupons will be limited to one per person. For those participating in the First 100, if they bring cans or have someone bring cans on their behalf, the participant will receive a point for each can. The First 100 participant with the most points at 7 p.m. Wednesday will win a $100 Chick-fil-A party tray certificate.

"Giving back to the community and being good stewards are extremely important to Chick-fil-A operators," Tamilla House said.

For more details on the First 100 official rules, visit www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/First-100-Details.

* P&G sets toilet paper record: Procter & Gamble's Charmin brand celebrated National Toilet Paper Day on Friday with Guinness World Records to announce a record for the World's Largest Toilet Paper Roll. The roll was made at the company's Cape Girardeau plant and then transported to the its headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, for the unveiling. It measured more than eight feet high and nine feet wide. The roll contains more than 1,000,000 square feet of paper and it would take approximately 95,000 rolls of Charmin to equal the same amount of paper, said Darrick Johnson, P&G plant manager in Cape Girardeau, in a news release. Following the roll's appearance in Cincinnati, it will be shipped to Ripley's Believe It or Not, which will then decide on a showcase location for the roll in one of its museums.

* Saint Francis' Fitness Plus recognized: Aquatics International magazine will honor the nation's top aquatics facilities this November in its 13th annual Best of Aquatics issue. Saint Francis Medical Center Fitness Plus facility is among the 13 facilities recognized this year. Judges considered factors including programming, promotional materials, aquatic amenities and community involvement.

* Free business seminar: Big River Telephone Co. will host a web seminar on Sept. 21 in Perryville, Mo., at Stonie's Sausage Shop in the Heritage Room, from 10 a.m. to noon. The seminar will include information about how to best market a business online through the use of social media and website ranking techniques. Space is limited, and attendees must register by Sept. 16 at www.bigrivertelephone.com/webadvantage or 1-855-244-7483.

* Insta Golf Shoes named top product: Insta Golf Shoes, developed by Rick Hetzel of Cape Girardeau, were selected by golf buyers and PGA Professionals as a top new innovative product at the 2011 PGA Expo in Las Vegas. The selection was based on aesthetics, uniqueness, consumer need, overall value and packaging and merchandising support. Insta Golf Shoes slip over tennis shoes, casual shoes or dress shoes and offer golfers the stability and traction required on the golf course. For more information, visit www.instagolfshoes.com.

* Muy Bueno to move: Muy Bueno Mexican restaurant in Cape Girardeau will move into the former Show Me's building at 1751 Independence St. next month. Show Me's closed in July. Muy Bueno has been located just up the road at 2007 Independence St. for about five years. The restaurant intends to stay open during the transition at its existing location, said Gracie Quesada. The new space, which Muy Bueno will lease, is more than double the size of its existing restaurant. An opening date at the new location has not yet been determined, but Quesada said it will likely be around the second week of September.

* New location for Love INC: Love In the Name of Christ has moved to 225 Sheridan Drive in Cape Girardeau. "This is an important milestone for our ministry," said Jeff Fanger, chairman of Love INC's board of directors. "We have experienced exponential growth, both in the number of requests we receive and in the services we are able to provide. Our new location will allow us to meet these needs in a much more efficient and effective manner."

The organization was previously housed in space donated by St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

"Our services have grown to a point where we need to have a location that is more clearly identified with our ministry," executive director Eva Hillis said.

It also gives the organization the opportunity to increase hours of operation as it identifies additional volunteers to take phone calls, she said. Love INC works to coordinate individuals and church ministries, matching people in need with Christians who can help them.

Southeast Missourian business editor Melissa Miller may be contacted at 388-3646 or mmiller@semissourian.com.