Long-awaited Ponce de Leon Chick-fil-A opening doors this week

The history of Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A, one of the largest family-owned restaurant chains in the U.S., rose from humble beginnings as a small diner in a suburb of Atlanta.

ATLANTA - The long-awaited new Chick-fil-A restaurant at the intersection of Ponce de Leon and Boulevard will open its doors for the first time this week.

The Old Fourth Ward restaurant will start serving their classic sandwiches and nuggets to hungry customers starting Thursday, June 15 at 689 Boulevard NE and 513 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE and will be open for dine-in, carry-out, and drive-thru meals from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day but Sunday (of course).

The Atlanta-based company has selected Jamerian Myles as the owner and operator of the new restaurant. Myles is no stranger to the chicken sandwich business. He first started working at Chick-fil-A as a team member in 2004 when he was 16. Since then, he's only worked for the company - becoming a restaurant operator at just 24 years old at the Glenwood Place location before adding this new location as his second restaurant.

(Courtesy Chick-fil-A)

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"It was so important for me to create a legacy early in my life, from taking my first job in high school to being the first person in my family to pursue higher education," said Myles. "I want to encourage young people in Atlanta to leave their own legacy, through some of the same experiences that I was so grateful to have."

The company estimates the dual-lane drive-thru and in-store service will bring 115 jobs to the community.

"We feel really blessed to have the chance to create new opportunities for people in Atlanta, especially in such a central location as our restaurant," said Myles. "We are so passionate about helping young people grow, and I cannot wait to serve as a mentor to those people. I am excited to be providing jobs—and a place where everyone can come and share a meal together—to our community."

(Courtesy Chick-fil-A)

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As part of that giving back, Chick-fil-A will donate $25,000 to Feeding America to help the metro Atlanta area fight against hunger. The restaurant will also honor 100 local heroes in the area by giving them free Chick-fil-A entrees for a year.

This location also will participate in the company's Shared Table initiative, which redirects extra food to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks, and more.

A Chick-fil-A restaurant is seen on July 05, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

This is the newest of the over 180 locations of the fast food chain in the metro Atlanta area and comes a little less than a month after the chain closed its first-ever restaurant after over 50 years in business.