Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Neal Rodgers and his wife, Amy, arrived early on Thursday, July 17, ahead of the grand opening of the new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Live Oak. The store officially opened its doors to customers at 6:30 a.m., marking the culmination of weeks of preparation, including staff training and a dry-run service just days earlier. The opening was highly anticipated by the City of Live Oak and its residents, but it was significant for the Rodgers family, as it marked their first business venture together.
When they arrived, there were 10 to 12 people already queued up and ready to be the first of many to enjoy the breakfast the popular fast food chain offers. "We had about 10 cars ready to go through the drive-through," Rodgers said. "All cowed up and excited."
During the grand opening, customers from around the region came to try out the new restaurant, donning cow costumes, some inflatable, while others went all out, taking multiple children to make up a costume, such as the Linton and Mayhew families. The costumes were part of a grand opening promotional event, allowing those dressed as cows to enjoy a free entrée.
Rodgers and his wife are familiar with the slow-paced life which Live Oak brings. Both hailing from small Georgia towns, he has been involved with Chick-fil-A for the last 10 years, starting in Greenville, S.C. Before joining Chick-fil-A, Rodgers worked in the service and financial industries, deepening his passion for servant leadership and entrepreneurship.
When Rodgers started working with Chick-fil-A, he said he knew if he and his wife were to become store operators, he would have wanted it to be in a small town. "We grew up in places where small businesses are the lifeblood of the community," Rodgers said. "They support everything, and we wanted to be able to do that for a small town as well." When the opportunity to operate the Live Oak location arose, the Rodgers family applied for the position, going through three rounds before the Atlanta-based chain gave the green light for them to take it on.
It was a welcome relief for Rodgers, who had an opportunity to visit Live Oak prior to taking the helm. For him, Live Oak was a small town where he wanted to raise his children. "It's very interconnected, and everybody supports each other. We're just super excited and super blessed to be here," he said.
During the process, Rodgers was able to get support from other Chick-fil-A operators, including Michael Sexton, operator of the Lake City location. "He's an awesome operator and he's been such a huge help for us here, considering I am a first-time operator," Rodgers said. "So he's been a huge resource, just like the ins and outs of owning my own business, as well as just helping us get started from the ground up."
According to Rodgers, with Chick-fil-A operating in Live Oak, it has brought 130 jobs to the area. "We spent about six weeks interviewing around 250 applicants. And of the 250, we selected 130," he said. Each team member hired underwent a rigorous orientation and training program, assisted by trainers from across the country. Their big test came on Tuesday, July 15, when the employees underwent a simulation. The simulation included learning how to take orders, ensuring the quality of the food was on point, and ultimately serving the hand-selected few who had the opportunity to participate in the test run, which included family members of team members and community leaders.
"Chick-fil-A comes with a little bit of a reputation for being a good place to work, and I hope we here in Live Oak can live up to that," Rodgers said.
The goals for the Rodgers family as they settle into Live Oak are simple: get the restaurant fully operational, have the team thoroughly trained, and serve every guest with honor, dignity and respect. They also want to become more involved with the community and participate in the county's activities. "I would like to thank those in the community and the neighboring cities and counties for coming out. We really do appreciate it," Rodgers said. "Our team members appreciate it because it gives them a great opportunity to learn and train. And I think, moving forward, those guys are all going to be super excited to see people come into this building."
The Live Oak Chick-fil-A is located at 1801 N Ohio Ave. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information about the restaurant or its offerings, visit www.chick-fil-a.com.