(WWJ) If you fry it, they will come.
Metro Detroiters craving crispy chicken lined up by the dozens in Shelby Township and Northville on Thursday, as two new Chick-fil-A restaurants opened for the first time.
At the Shelby restaurant, on Hall Rd. at Schoenherr, the line at the drive-thru began forming at around 6:30 a.m.
Things were just a bit slower at the other location, Haggerty Rd. south of 8 Mile, where WWJ's Mike Campbell said there was no waiting for the first two or three hours. Lunchtime, however, was a different story — as photos and video showed cars queued between cones, and bundled-up employees directing traffic.
Calling 97.1 The Ticket's Karsch and Anderson from his car at the Shelby location, Derrick said the line was long and winding, but "moving pretty good."
The problem, he said, is that you can't tell how many cars are ahead of you. "After I make this next turn, I don't know how much further I have to go. It's crazy."
"There is a young lady walking out with pieces of paper, like a menu," he added. "Because I guess they want people to be ready."
Dan, also in Shelby Twp,, said he was in line for about an hour, but finally got his food. The wait was not uneventful, however, when one car about ten spots behind him overheated.
"The engine caught fire in the parking lot," he said. "And like three firetrucks came, and the police came, and they shut that lane down. They shut Schoenherr down."
Both restaurants will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Like all other Chick-fil-A locations, they will be closed on Sundays.
The new restaurants bring new jobs to the area, too; each expected to employ approximately 150 full-and part-time team members.
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For the time being, the restaurants are open for drive-thru service only. It's not clear if they will open for indoor service when Michigan's ban on indoor dining is lifted on Feb. 1.
In the meantime, customers should expect to find a line when they arrive.
In a Macomb County community Facebook group, people were complaining about the congestion, in an area already notorious for traffic tie-ups.
Tracy Berden wrote: "I’m not even sure why they couldn’t pick a different location. People would of drive to them."
Sylvia Joseph noted: "Hey they are miles in line I am watching ch 7 news and the copter is in the air, how crazy can people be, traffic is bumper to bumper as far as you can see, hope the wait is worth what they get if they do."
Bobbi Ann put an optimistic spin on the situation, commenting: "Hall Road traffic sucks every day.......but the positive a new business is opening!"
Macomb County Police and Fire scanner offered this advice: "Probably best if you just avoid that part of Hall Road today because that’ll probably be like that all day (and weeks), and more than likely getting worse as the day goes on."
While others said the line was worth it, for some of the best fast food around, Joseph Jusjoe remarked simply: "Why does chicken do this to people?"
Chick-fil-A Shelby Township is the first location in Macomb County, while Chick-fil-A Northville joins Chick-fil-A restaurants in Troy and Novi, making it the third restaurant in Oakland County.
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