The first Chick-fil-A in Pine Bluff will open this week and provide 100 local heroes with free meals for a year

Little Rock, Arkansas – The eagerly awaited first standalone Chick-fil-A in Pine BluffThis Thursday is the scheduled opening of a restaurant.

Katie Branch, a first-time franchise owner and native of Arkansas, runs the eatery at 5701 S. Olive St.

I am thrilled to open my first Chick-fil-A restaurant in a community that means so much to me and my family,” Branch said in a statement. “My goal is for our restaurant to provide genuine hospitality and care for our Guests, pour into my Team Members to help them reach their highest potential, and invest in the great city of Pine Bluff so we are a beacon of light in the community.”

Branch said she had happy recollections of traveling to Pine Bluff with her family as a child. Branch is originally from a little village about 30 miles south of Pine Bluff.

Branch stated that she wished to switch industries in order to pursue a profession where she could positively influence her community and workers, given her prior experience in IT leadership.

In honor of its launch on Thursday, Chick-fil-A announced that it has given $25,000 to Feeding America in support of the Arkansas Foodbank’s efforts to combat hunger. They added that they also intended to give away free meals for a year to 100 local heroes who had made a difference in the Pine Bluff community.

Additionally, Chick-fil-A said that Branch’s restaurant will take part in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program, an endeavor that reroutes excess food from their kitchen to nearby food banks, shelters, and charitable organizations that support the underprivileged. The program has generated over 23 million meals from eateries in the United States and Canada.

About 100 locals are anticipated to be employed full- and part-time at the Pine Bluff facility.

Dine-in, drive-thru, and carry-out hours are available Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.