Chick-fil-A Gears Up for Grand Opening on Thursday

The new Chick-fil-A to open at the Pasadena Crossroads on the corner of Jumper's Hole Road has already prepared hundreds of sandwiches and nuggets—and the eatery isn't officially open until Thursday.

The lure of free samples quickly became a long line of people that circled the building on Tuesday and it continued for about three hours, said Patrick Cozadd, the owner of the franchise.

From a red tent stationed outside the entrance, people streamed up throughout the morning and early afternoon for free sandwiches and eight-packs of chicken nuggets.  On Monday, 846 chicken sandwiches and 555 packs of nuggets were dispersed to eager fans and on Tuesday, another 1,047 chicken sandwiches were given away.

Are these numbers an indication of what's to come for the popular fast food restaurant? "We're expecting a big opening," said Cozadd. But before opening day, starting on Wednesday morning, he's expecting more crowds of chicken lovers who will be there to camp out overnight—the signature Chick- fil-A event—where the first 100 people served on Thursday will receive a free chicken sandwich meal, once a week, for a year. Visit http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/First-100 for more information on the program.

With that in mind, for opening day, Cozadd is preparing for a hungry first rush of customers following the 8 a.m. ribbon-cutting by the Severna Park Chamber of Commerce.  All 70 staff members will be on hand and will be mentored  by  "20 of the best and brightest from across the country" along with a Chick-fil-A management team who will be there to help with any first day jitters.

Cozadd, a Pasadena resident, is no stranger to managing a restaurant or serving the famous chicken; he formerly owned the Chick-fil-A at Marley Station Mall. Active in the community, Cozadd is a member of the North County and Severna Park Chambers of Commerce. On Tuesday night, he's reserved a special evening for about 100 people, many former customers of his previous store, to come to the new location for a private celebration.

The Pasadena Crossroads store has more than 3,000 friends on Facebook.  Cozadd asks everyone to stay updated by visiting the Chick-fil-A page.