Cravings prompt signature drive

by Meg Robinson, posted Dec. 9, 2011

The first time out-of-state freshman Jackie Trahan ever visited the Midwest was for MU Summer Welcome. Moving to Missouri and away from her longtime Virginia home was a huge change in her life but when asked about the hardest part of her transition, she replied, "I really miss Chick-fil-A."

She isn't alone. Trahan is only one of the many waffle-fry-craving students who have banded together in support of bringing a Chick-fil-A to campus. A Facebook group entitled "Chick-fil-A for Mizzou" was created in mid-September and now has more than 1,400 members. On Sept. 14, a few Chick-fil-A fans began periodically collecting signatures to send to Chick-fil-A headquarters. Over time, they collected more than a thousand.

Their efforts have not gone unnoticed. The company's public relations team makes an effort to respond to customer inquiries promptly and now follows some MU students with the official Chick-fil-A Twitter page.

Some students can't wait for an official decision. Freshman Megan Clark went on a two-and-a-half-hour road trip with her friends to the nearest location, in Chesterfield, Mo.

"I just couldn't wait until the Thanksgiving break to get my fix," Clark said, "I used to go all the time in high school, and now I miss it."

Despite the support amongst the student body, however, bringing the restaurant to Columbia is not a simple request. The Chick-fil-A business model complicates matters. Unlike other fast-food giants, such as McDonald's and Burger King, private franchise partners exclusively own Chick-fil-A locations. Bringing a location to Columbia would require the initial investment of a local citizen.

"We aren't giving up hope," Trahan said.

She hopes that a Chick-fil-A will be brought to the area before she graduates in 2015.

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