'Eat Mor Chikin?' Yes, please. Jackson Twp. man eats Chick-fil-A for 800 straight days
JACKSON TWP. ‒ John Carucci is a Chick-fil-A connoisseur.
The 62-year-old’s love for the fast-food chicken chain runs deep – 800 days deep.
Employees at the Jackson Township restaurant at 5411 Dressler Road NW celebrated Carucci’s 800th (nearly) consecutive day eating at the Chick-fil-A. The chain is closed on Sundays, making his a Monday-Saturday streak.
Carucci sat at his regular table, surrounded by balloons and flowers. The Jackson Township resident was joined by the store owner, George Rosche, and the iconic cow mascot.
It turns out, Carucci keeps coming back for more than just the food.
“It’s not the chicken,” he said. “It’s the people.”
Where did all the Chick-fil-A love come from?
Long before his 800-day streak, Carucci began eating at the Dressler Road NW Chick-fil-A when it opened in 2005.
Doug Pugh, current operator at the Belden Village Mall location and previous operator of the Dressler location, recalls first meeting Carucci and his wife, Laura, in the dining room of Chick-fil-A.
Pugh quickly became friends with the pair.
“We knew their orders, their names, things about their family,” Pugh said. “Those little things are what ties a customer in for life.”
Pugh recalls the couple coming in about once a week, until about four years ago.
Laura Carucci was diagnosed with cancer and lost her battle in 2019.
After her passing, the employees at Chick-fil-A rose to the occasion to support Carucci.
Pugh delivered food to his home. Employees invited Carucci to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
The crew at Chick-fil-A quickly became an important part of his life.
“When you do something like that for me, I’m not going to forget,” Carucci said. “It’s the people I really enjoy.”
Challenge accepted: Origin of the 800-day streak
Carucci’s 800-day commitment began in December 2020.
John was scrolling through Facebook when a post caught his attention. Someone from Pennsylvania claimed to set a record – 126 days in a row at Chick-fil-A.
“John goes, ‘That’s nothing. I can do that all day.’ That’s when he started his streak,” Pugh said.
Ever since then, Carucci has been eating at the fast-food chain Monday-Saturday.
He is so committed to his mission that when he travels, he seeks a Chick-fil-A restaurant at his destination. So far, the Canton local has made stops at locations in Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas.
Carucci, a remote purchasing agent for a supply company, comes to Chick-fil-A as a way to get out of the house during a lunch break.
When the dining room was shut down during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carucci sat in the same spot in the eatery's parking lot.
His go-to order? A chicken sandwich on a multi-grain bun – no pickles − and an unsweet tea. Friday is the “cheat day,” when he adds on an order of fries.
Milestones: 200, 500, 800 and beyond.
When Carucci met a milestone of 200 days in a row, Pugh created an incentive. Pugh promised that if Carucci could maintain a streak of 500 days, the pair would go to Atlanta to see the site of the first Chick-fil-A.
So, in July 2022, Carucci and Pugh spent time at the Chick-fil-A support center and the Dwarf House, the original Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta.
So what’s next?
“I’m going to be at 1,000 in March of next year,” Carucci said. “I’d like to get the 1,500 if I could.”
Pugh hopes to join forces with Rosche, the restaurant's owner, on Day 1,000 to make another special day for Carucci, evidence of a bond that has formed over the years.
"It’s good to see friends," Carucci said. "That’s why I come here every day. They’re all my friends."
Contact Abreanna Blose by email at ablose@gannett.com or by phone at 330-580-8513.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: John Carucci of Jackson Twp. marks 800th day of dining at Chick-fil-A
