Photos by Lindsay Toler
Paul and Christina Basham got to Chick-Fil-A at 5:15 a.m. to get the first two spots in line. They'll be rewarded when the store opens Wednesday with 52 free meals.
When Chick-Fil-A opens its stand-alone restaurant in Brentwood Wednesday morning, Paul and Christina Basham will be the first two in line.
To ensure their spots, the Bashams have been preparing ever since they learned the fast-food chain is opening at 8590 Eager Road. They left their home in Vinita Park before the crack of dawn Tuesday to get to the soon-to-open store’s parking lot by 5:15 a.m. Armed with a friend’s tent, sleeping bags, chairs, food, an air mattress and—once they realized the tent had holes in it—a tarp to keep the rain out, the Bashams now just have to wait for the store to open to claim their prize for being among the first 100 customers: 52 free No. 1 sandwich meals.
Camping out in the Chick-Fil-A parking lot.
“What’s better than 52 free meals?” Paul tells SLM. “It’s 104 if you combine mine and hers. That’s a lot of date nights.”
Why camp in a parking lot for 52 free meals? Christina says it’s now or never.
“We don’t have kids yet,” she says, although the married couple did have to find someone to watch their dogs. “This is probably our one shot to be crazy.”
No cutting! These bands give the Bashams proof that they're the first two in line.
The Bashams aren’t the only ones camping out to be among the first 100 customers. Calvin Williams was No. 30 when he joined the queue around 2 p.m.
“I had the day off of work, so I said, ‘What the heck?’” says Williams, who takes his wife and four children, ages 4, 5, 8 and 9, to Chick-Fil-A in Des Peres once a week. The Brentwood store is closer to his home in University City, and Williams says he plans to use the money he’ll save on gas on Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets, hold the sauce.
Calvin Williams waits by a friend's tent for Chick-Fil-A to open tomorrow. He's No. 30 in line.
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
