‘It’s bittersweet.’ Warner Robins Chick-fil-A owner talks about move to new location

For Pat Braski, closing a 30-year-old Chick-fil-A that he’s owned and operated since 2003 to move to a bigger and better store across town is like that twinge of mixed feelings many experience when moving out of their childhood home.

“It’s bittersweet,” Braski said. “People don’t realize it. Businesses like this, for any business owner, this business becomes you. Think about all the people that come through these doors— for almost two decades. To think that, the move is very bittersweet.

“I raised my kids here — literally — doing homework in the dining room. My kids went to school at Sacred Heart right down the street. So, this is really a big part of my faith community. I’m within a stone’s throw of my church; the school my kids went to. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

Friday, the restaurant at 1867 Watson Blvd. in Warner Robins, which opened its doors Feb. 6, 1992, served its last chicken sandwich.

The new Chick-fil-A at 621 Russell Parkway opens Thursday, which allows time to clean and debrand the Watson Blvd. location and for employees to transition to the new location and familiarize themselves with where everything is and prepare for customers.

The future of the business

“It’s not an easy thing for me either,” Braski said. “But the future of the business is very encouraging — the size of the building.

“Again, the fact that we are going to be able to better house our employees, equipped with all the technology. We’ll have a break room — different things like that.”

The new location’s kitchen is nearly double the size of the old location, with high ceilings and natural light. The kitchen at the old location was cramped, likened by Braski to working in a submarine.

“The better service will be enhanced by technology,” Braski said. “It’s the same great people and that’s not going to change.”

The new restaurant’s double-lane drive-thru will allow for as many as 60 vehicles at one time. There’s also plenty of parking.

The old location had a very short and stubby parking lot and parking was always a challenge, Braski said.

“We just did the most we could with the facility,” he said. “Just the age of the facility and the physical size, we’re just busting at the seams.”

The workspace for employees at the former location, which was constructed in 1991, was just not built to do the kind of volume that Chick-fil-A now experiences, Braski said.

“No one dreamed 31 years ago these places would be doing the volume they’re doing — no one,” he said. “I’m stunned.”

The former location was probably doing seven times the volume the store was originally built to handle, he said. There was no more room to grow.

“It’s not so much that the location is bad because anybody will tell you that we’re busy all the time,” Braski said. “But ... we’re so small and we’re so confined in what we can do.”

At the new store, Braski will employ 100 to 110 people and “we could use more.” He’d like to have additional drivers for delivery, an aspect of the business introduced in 2019 that continues to grow.

The new Russell Parkway location has all the bells and whistles and is even bigger than the Chick-fil-A at 3000 Watson Blvd. that opened in February 2021. That store and the Chick-fil-A at 790 Ga. 96 in Bonaire are also owned and operated by Braski.

Braski, 57, is among a few within the Chick-fil-A family to own and operate multiple free-standing restaurants. The Georgia-based chain of restaurants is known for its chicken sandwiches, customer service and being closed on Sundays.

Saying goodbye

The day before the Chick-fil-A at 1867 Watson Blvd. closed, the restaurant held a “last bite” event for customers and employees.

The event drew former employees including one who operates his own Chick-fil-A restaurant today as well as longtime customers like William Curtis.

Curtis has been a regular at Chick-fil-A on Watson Boulevard near Houston Medical Center since it opened and before Braski became the owner and operator.

Curtis, who works at Robins Air Force Base, plans to follow Braski over to the new restaurant location.

“Got to have a way to get my chicken,” Curtis said. “I love the food. I love the people.”

The event also included a large cake with the inscription, “It’s been a pleasure.” Chick-fil-A employees are known for saying, “My pleasure” in stead of “You’re welcome.”

There were also cupcakes, balloons, limited T-shirt sales, and, naturally, a visit from the Chick-fil-A mascot.

But before black and white cows with the message “Eat mor Chikin” were introduced on a billboard in 1995, the Chick-fil-A mascot was Doodles the rooster.

Braski recalled donning the costume and its enormous chicken head with its large beak in 1986.

“By the time I was in the costume, I was a 7-foot chicken,” Braski said with a laugh.

Also at the last bite event, a scrapbook that captured special occasions at the restaurant and featured photos of Braski, employees and customers was on display. Nearby, blank sheets of white paper and writing pens were left for people to write messages.

“Our family always came here for the WR Christmas parade. Luv’d it! Thank you!,” one person wrote.

Another wrote, “We are gonna miss coming here before the Northside games every Friday eve. Best wishes.”

Another note signed by a couple read, “Thank you for all the great memories.”

Braski hopes his customers from the old store will follow him to the new store.

“I certainly appreciate the loyal following to me personally, and I just look forward to continuing to serve people personally in a way they’ve come accustomed to here and certainly in a way they deserve as our customers and just good quality people,” Braski said.

“There’s just no better place to do business with Chick-fil-A than Warner Robins, Georgia. This is like almost a cookie-cutter environment for our brand and it works and the relationship has been incredible and the way people have received me over decades has been greatly appreciated. I love this community.”