Chick-fil-A opens in Emeryville

EMERYVILLE, Calif. - Chick-fil-A opened their newest location in Emeryville Thursday.

The fast food restaurant took over the old Panera location next to Target at 1525 40th Street. The restaurant had their ribbon cutting earlier this week and is encouraging guests to come in and  "squeeze the most out of spring" with their Watermelon Mint Lemonade.

Social media quickly got word of the opening and showed support.

"It has been brought to my attention that there is actually a chick fil a opening in Emeryville tomorrow, GOD BLESS," wrote one fan on Twitter.

"Can someone in emeryville bring me a lemonade from Chick-fil-A ??!! I’ll love you for life," wrote another.

Owner and operator Jon Hooper ran the Chick-fil-A in Fremont for 7 years and posted that he's excited to be a part of the East Bay community. He started working for the restaurant at 16 to help his family financially and continued through high school and college to pay for his education.

"As we open Chick-fil-A Emeryville, it’s my hope that this restaurant feels like home for our Team Members, guests and the East Bay community," said Hooper in a statement to KTVU. "From our signature hospitality to our local community partnerships, we look forward to the many ways that we can show care for our community, particularly as many guests try us for the first time."

Hooper said their goal is to positively impact the community by providing care and genuine hospitality, and has been providing free food to Youth Uprising, an organization dedicated to helping teens in East Oakland.

In celebration of the opening, Chick-fil-A told KTVU they donated $25,000 to the Alameda County partner of Feeding America and $15,000 to Emeryville Citizens Assistance Program (ECAP) to assist low-income residents.

They are also recognizing 100 local heroes making an impact in the greater Oakland area by gifting them free Chick-fil-A meals for a year, and donating surplus food to Berkeley Food & Housing Project. 

The restaurant is open 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and offers mobile ordering.