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VALLEY — The owner of the new Chick-fil-A franchise in Valley was the gust speaker at this week’s meeting of the Valley Lions Club. The meeting took place Monday evening at Sylvia Word Manor.

Cole Flanders is originally from a small Pike County, Ga. town near Griffin. He grew up on a family farm near the town of Williamson and graduated from Pike County High School and the University of Georgia.

Flanders told a large gathering inside the Sylvia Word community room that Chick-fil-A has a different kind of business model than many fast-food franchises. A potential owner can be as young as 22 and does not have to put up a large sum like $100,000 to get started with the company.

It’s far from easy to be a Chick-fil-A operator. It’s been said that a young person has a better chance of making an NFL opening day roster than it is to become a Chick-fil-A operator. In recent years, more than 110,000 people have applied, with 103 of them being accepted. Flanders was one of the fortunate few to make it, and it didn’t happen overnight.

It took four years and recent stops in Athens and Augusta to get to where he is now. It was really tough to keep a business open during Covid, which caused a two-and-a-half year slowdown in the industry. He spent time all over the country with Chick-fil-A before getting back to Georgia. His wife’s family is from Augusta, and they had a good stay there.

Flanders said he was really interested in the opportunity that came available in Valley. “Chick-fil-A is very careful not to build in dying towns,” he said. “I liked the location’s proximity to the Interstate. Valley is a growing community, and Lanett, West Point and LaFayette are nearby.”

Before the new restaurant was built he took a drive to Valley to get a feel for the community and liked what he saw. It’s not far from where he grew up and is close to Auburn, where he has family.

“I saw what happened in Griffin with the loss of the textile industry,” he said. “My dad is a minister, and I went to church with people who lost their jobs. I can relate to what people in Valley went through.”

Flanders is now about as much a Valley guy as one can be. He, his wife and their kids live in a house on Double Drive in Shawmut. It’s close enough to walk to work every day if he wanted to do that.

His wife helps out at the restaurant. Their kids were on the playground before the restaurant opened. “We are so proud to have our own free-standing restaurant,” he said.”We are super excited to see it well received.”

Having grown up on a farm is an asset in his current position. “My agricultural background is very much involved in this,” he said. “We want to be a beacon of light for our employees, some of whom have come from difficult backgrounds.”

The new restaurant had no trouble in finding suitable employees. Nearly 350 people applied in the first 24 hours positions were advertised. Over 1,000 applications came in the first week.

Over half of the current staff are in high school. There’s some older people, too. “We want people who want to work,” Flanders said. “My two assistant managers were with me when I was in Augusta. Our six shift leaders were hired from the local area. I see lots of potential in them. I love my team. They are young and eager to learn.”

The two drive-in lanes outside the restaurants are very busy places. They are averaging between 150 to 170 customers per hour. “The highest I’ve seen here is 342,” Flanders said. “The company record was set in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s 525.”

The busiest Chick-fil-A in Alabama is at Tiger Town in Opelika.

Chick-fil-A was founded by S. Truett Cathy in Hapeville, Georgia on May 23, 1946. Its today the largest fast-food chain specializing in chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in College Park, Ga., Chick-fil-A currently operates 3,164 restaurants in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The company employs more than 35,000 people.

While the restaurant’s sandwich is ever popular, it’s not Chick-fil-A’s most sold item or entree. “The fries are the most sold item,” Flanders said. “That’s because they are sold in the combos. Our nuggets are now the most sold item. They are edging out the sandwiches.”

Flanders said he really likes being in Valley and sees a great future here. “Valley is growing,” he said, “and I-85 is not slowing down. I want to thank the City of Valley on having done great work in helping get us open. What they did on 33rd Street was great, and Valley Police Department has been very helpful directing traffic in the busy periods.”

The city’s Public Works Department offered a big helping hand by improving visibility along Highway 29. A bank was lowered and some trees cut on the lot just south of the new restaurant.

Flanders also commended the Chambers County Development Authority (CCDA) on having  been great to work with. “They have always asked it there was anything they could do to help us,” he said.

Flanders likes to tell the story of Truett Cathy, Chick-fil-A’s founder. He and brother Ben created the chicken sandwich which became the signature item for a small restaurant across from the Ford plant in Hapeville. They called the place the Dwarf Grill because of its small size.

From 1964 to 1967, the sandwich was licensed in more than 50 eateries including Waffle House and a new sporting venue in Houston known as the Astrodome. Chick-fil-A opened its first restaurant in the food court at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta in 1967. The company’s growth exploded in the ensuing years. In 2008, Mr Cathy opened Upscale Pizza in Fayetteville, Ga. Five years later, he retired as chairman and CEO of Chick-fil-A, leaving son Dan Cathy to assume those roles. He died at age 93 in 2014. One of his greatest joys in life was teaching Sunday school. He did that for over 50 years at the First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Ga.

He authored a number of books including It’s Easier to Succeed Than to Fail (1989), Eat Mor Chikin, Inspire More People (2002), It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men (2004) and How Did You Do It, Truett? (2010).