What we do for fun part 2...
Would you believe that Chick-fil-A has never opened a free-standing unit in Kansas before? I was shocked when I found out, and even more shocked when I found out that the first one was going to be opened right here in Olathe - about 5 minutes from campus.
Naturally, a new fast-food place as an alternative to Campus Center is a big event in a college student's life, but even bigger is the chance for free fast-food. Chick-fil-A's opening special was an offer for a year's supply of combo meals (translated into 52 coupons for a combo of your choice) to the first 100 people to go through the doors this morning at 6:30.
Now, mind you, I had no intention of getting involved in the slightest degree. I had heard of the opening, but hadn't really thought much about it at all. Freshman elections were yesterday, and I volunteered to work as a teller for an hour just before supper. Afterwards, I was planning on grabbing a quick bite to eat, then spending the evening getting ahead on my homework and probably making a trip over to College Church for evening service.
While I was watching the computers for the voting, Brandon, a friend of mine, started telling me about Jonathan, another friend, and how he was out at Chick-fil-A for the opening. Not only was he already there at 5 o'clock last night, he had been there since 5 o'clock AM! He skipped class for the day and sat out in the parking lot all day just so he could be #1 on the list of the first 100! Jonathan is a chemistry major, but no one ever accused him of being too attached to his books. :)
After laughing at Jonathan's silliness, I finished out my teller shift and went to grab a bite to eat. Wednesday night is meat night at Campus Center, but it's best to get there early, or the meat selections are tough or soggy. I tried to get an edible piece and went to find a seat.
Jessica, yet another friend, found me a few minutes after I sat down and asked if I had heard of the Chick-fil-A promotion. I told her I had, and the next words out of her mouth were, "Would you go with me? I want to do it, but I don't want to do it alone."
I laughed a little at her before I realized she was serious. She said that the program was set up so that once you signed up, you were automatically in the top 100, but there was a pretty big catch. Once you sign up, you can't leave the restaurant premises, not even to go to your car. One major drawback to the idea for Jessica and me was that we didn't own a tent, and the idea of sleeping in a parking lot didn't appeal to either one of us.
I told her that if she could find a tent or decided to do it, I would go with her. I knew several people from the school who were out there - and besides, it's free food! Besides, what were the odds that Jessica would decide to go through with it?
Well, about five minutes later she was back, telling me she had heard that tents were on sale for $12 at Target, and she had found another girl to go in with us, so it would only be $4 apiece. I admit I was sort of surprised into agreeing to meet back at Campus Center in 20 minutes to head over to Chick-fil-A.
Leann, the other girl going in with us, came well prepared. She brought several pillows and a fuzzy blanket and a bag full of homework. I, on the other hand, showed up at the car with some homework, a few card games, and a pillow shoved into my backpack, and my gray cowboy hat on my head. Jess didn't bring anything at all. She did, however, think to call Jonathan to see if it was even worth us coming over there to try and make the list. He told her that they had just signed in #81, so if we were coming, we'd better hurry.
We made the decision to go straight to Chick-fil-A and bypass the sale at Target, and call around to see if we could find a friend who would come pick up our money and go buy the tent. We did eventually find one, but it wasn't until after 9:00 p.m.
We got there and signed in as guests 86, 87 and 88. They gave us each a little red wristband and warned us that they had a roll call throughout the night to ensure that no one left. They also gave us each a bag of Chick-fil-A waffle fries (oh, yum!) and a Chick-fil-A sandwich for supper, since we couldn't leave. Now, admittedly, I had eaten a little at Campus Center...but I wasn't about to turn it down! Besides, it tasted just as good a little cold when I was starting to feel hungry again. :)
Now, before anyone gets too worried, you should know that there were armed security guards all around the parking lot, and everyone signed an agreement to have no drugs, alcohol, or tobacco on the premises. Besides that, about 40 of the first 100 guests were from MNU, which made the night a lot of fun.
Someone had found a way to set up a wireless internet connection, so everyone had their laptops out. Someone else brought a TV and Playstation, and kept a crowd of people busy most of the night. Jess, Leann and I were the boring ones. We played several rounds of Uno, then settled in to do homework and talk on our cell phones to pass the time.
We had a roll call around 11 o'clock, which was one of the best moments of the whole experience. When someone's name was called, he or she would run up cheering and get in line behind the Chick-fil-A employee. By the time it got to our numbers, they had set up a line for high-fives - and the second half had formed a tunnel for us to run under. To hear all the shouting, you'd think we had just finished at Extreme Home Makeover or something. Of course, as I've said, free food is a big motivator.
As fun as the night was, the hard part was getting to sleep. We pooled our money and got two tents, which Leann and Jess decided to take with them (which means I get a full refund of the money I threw in for it). Leann took one, and Jess and I shared the other one. No offense to Chick-fil-A, but their pavement is not conducive to sleep.
The other problems included bright parking lot lights, loud neighbors, and the occasional news crew that would come through and pick people to interview. Jonathan got a lot of publicity because he is #1 on the list...and besides, he's crazy to have stayed there over 25 hours!
This morning about 5:45 we were awakened (or told to stop pretending to be asleep - I think I got about an hour and a half of sleep) and told to get ready for the opening. I don't know if you realize how cold it can be at 5:45, but I was in a t-shirt, and in no mood to get up.
We had roll call again, but it wasn't nearly so energetic. :) I can't imagine why. We each got a little bag with a Chick-fil-A t-shirt and a dorky little hat, which we were all supposed to put on for the news cameras. Isn't that just lovely? We're standing out in the dark, barely awake, and all dressed in matching shirts and those crazy hats (which I put over my cowboy hat). I'm sure the news got some great footage from that.
Anyway, I got an hour's nap after we finally got back to campus, but I'm certainly planning on going to bed early tonight.
On the up-side, though, I now have 52 free meals at an awesome restaurant, and had one of the most interesting nights of my life last night.
After all, what else do you expect us to do for fun?
Naturally, a new fast-food place as an alternative to Campus Center is a big event in a college student's life, but even bigger is the chance for free fast-food. Chick-fil-A's opening special was an offer for a year's supply of combo meals (translated into 52 coupons for a combo of your choice) to the first 100 people to go through the doors this morning at 6:30.
Now, mind you, I had no intention of getting involved in the slightest degree. I had heard of the opening, but hadn't really thought much about it at all. Freshman elections were yesterday, and I volunteered to work as a teller for an hour just before supper. Afterwards, I was planning on grabbing a quick bite to eat, then spending the evening getting ahead on my homework and probably making a trip over to College Church for evening service.
While I was watching the computers for the voting, Brandon, a friend of mine, started telling me about Jonathan, another friend, and how he was out at Chick-fil-A for the opening. Not only was he already there at 5 o'clock last night, he had been there since 5 o'clock AM! He skipped class for the day and sat out in the parking lot all day just so he could be #1 on the list of the first 100! Jonathan is a chemistry major, but no one ever accused him of being too attached to his books. :)
After laughing at Jonathan's silliness, I finished out my teller shift and went to grab a bite to eat. Wednesday night is meat night at Campus Center, but it's best to get there early, or the meat selections are tough or soggy. I tried to get an edible piece and went to find a seat.
Jessica, yet another friend, found me a few minutes after I sat down and asked if I had heard of the Chick-fil-A promotion. I told her I had, and the next words out of her mouth were, "Would you go with me? I want to do it, but I don't want to do it alone."
I laughed a little at her before I realized she was serious. She said that the program was set up so that once you signed up, you were automatically in the top 100, but there was a pretty big catch. Once you sign up, you can't leave the restaurant premises, not even to go to your car. One major drawback to the idea for Jessica and me was that we didn't own a tent, and the idea of sleeping in a parking lot didn't appeal to either one of us.
I told her that if she could find a tent or decided to do it, I would go with her. I knew several people from the school who were out there - and besides, it's free food! Besides, what were the odds that Jessica would decide to go through with it?
Well, about five minutes later she was back, telling me she had heard that tents were on sale for $12 at Target, and she had found another girl to go in with us, so it would only be $4 apiece. I admit I was sort of surprised into agreeing to meet back at Campus Center in 20 minutes to head over to Chick-fil-A.
Leann, the other girl going in with us, came well prepared. She brought several pillows and a fuzzy blanket and a bag full of homework. I, on the other hand, showed up at the car with some homework, a few card games, and a pillow shoved into my backpack, and my gray cowboy hat on my head. Jess didn't bring anything at all. She did, however, think to call Jonathan to see if it was even worth us coming over there to try and make the list. He told her that they had just signed in #81, so if we were coming, we'd better hurry.
We made the decision to go straight to Chick-fil-A and bypass the sale at Target, and call around to see if we could find a friend who would come pick up our money and go buy the tent. We did eventually find one, but it wasn't until after 9:00 p.m.
We got there and signed in as guests 86, 87 and 88. They gave us each a little red wristband and warned us that they had a roll call throughout the night to ensure that no one left. They also gave us each a bag of Chick-fil-A waffle fries (oh, yum!) and a Chick-fil-A sandwich for supper, since we couldn't leave. Now, admittedly, I had eaten a little at Campus Center...but I wasn't about to turn it down! Besides, it tasted just as good a little cold when I was starting to feel hungry again. :)
Now, before anyone gets too worried, you should know that there were armed security guards all around the parking lot, and everyone signed an agreement to have no drugs, alcohol, or tobacco on the premises. Besides that, about 40 of the first 100 guests were from MNU, which made the night a lot of fun.
Someone had found a way to set up a wireless internet connection, so everyone had their laptops out. Someone else brought a TV and Playstation, and kept a crowd of people busy most of the night. Jess, Leann and I were the boring ones. We played several rounds of Uno, then settled in to do homework and talk on our cell phones to pass the time.
We had a roll call around 11 o'clock, which was one of the best moments of the whole experience. When someone's name was called, he or she would run up cheering and get in line behind the Chick-fil-A employee. By the time it got to our numbers, they had set up a line for high-fives - and the second half had formed a tunnel for us to run under. To hear all the shouting, you'd think we had just finished at Extreme Home Makeover or something. Of course, as I've said, free food is a big motivator.
As fun as the night was, the hard part was getting to sleep. We pooled our money and got two tents, which Leann and Jess decided to take with them (which means I get a full refund of the money I threw in for it). Leann took one, and Jess and I shared the other one. No offense to Chick-fil-A, but their pavement is not conducive to sleep.
The other problems included bright parking lot lights, loud neighbors, and the occasional news crew that would come through and pick people to interview. Jonathan got a lot of publicity because he is #1 on the list...and besides, he's crazy to have stayed there over 25 hours!
This morning about 5:45 we were awakened (or told to stop pretending to be asleep - I think I got about an hour and a half of sleep) and told to get ready for the opening. I don't know if you realize how cold it can be at 5:45, but I was in a t-shirt, and in no mood to get up.
We had roll call again, but it wasn't nearly so energetic. :) I can't imagine why. We each got a little bag with a Chick-fil-A t-shirt and a dorky little hat, which we were all supposed to put on for the news cameras. Isn't that just lovely? We're standing out in the dark, barely awake, and all dressed in matching shirts and those crazy hats (which I put over my cowboy hat). I'm sure the news got some great footage from that.
Anyway, I got an hour's nap after we finally got back to campus, but I'm certainly planning on going to bed early tonight.
On the up-side, though, I now have 52 free meals at an awesome restaurant, and had one of the most interesting nights of my life last night.
After all, what else do you expect us to do for fun?
posted by Rachel-Marie87 | 1:26 PM
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