Petal fans line up to be the first to try the new Chick-fil-A restaurant. Here's how it went

Customers lined up early Thursday morning to be among the first at Petal's newest restaurant, Chick-fil-A.

The restaurant's doors opened at 6:30 a.m. with dozens of vehicles navigating Evelyn Gandy Parkway and the adjoining Parkway Lane to get to the drive-thru.

“We had a line going all the way down Parkway Lane," said owner and operator Annah Johnson. "It was kinda neat because we weren’t expecting it. I feel like it was flowing well. We’ll have to learn and we’ll grow as traffic picks up.”

Customers didn't mind the wait, which was much shorter than expected.

"It’s like a maze right now," Gerald Martin said as he waited for his order at the drive-thru window. "But it was pretty fast," said his wife, Deborah Martin, finishing up her husband's sentence.

The couple, who live outside Ellisville, said they became familiar with the restaurant chain from their visits to their granddaughter in Florida.

"If we go anywhere in Florida, it's to Chick-Fil-A," Gerald Martin said. “It’s a nice looking place. We love Chick-fil-A.”

The new restaurant is located at 1156 Evelyn Gandy Parkway. It is open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday for dine-in, drive-thru and carry-out orders. Guests can place orders for pickup or dine-in via the restaurant's app or website.

Annah Johnson and her husband Justin, owners and operators of the new Chick-fil-A, bring a lot of experience to the Petal restaurant since they also own the Chick-fil-A at Laurel's Sawmill Square Mall.

"After gaining a better understanding of the company values and the impact Chick-fil-A restaurants make in their local communities, she’s been committed to bringing Chick-fil-A to Petal," according to a company news release. "Johnson started her Chick-fil-A journey in 2017 in her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, serving as general manager for Chick-fil-A Laurel, and quickly advanced to become the owner/operator of Chick-fil-A Sawmill Square Mall.

"Now, as she moves from Sawmill Square Mall to Petal, Johnson looks forward to bringing the delicious food and signature hospitality to her own neighbors and building upon her current relationships with local organizations."

The idea of joining Chick-fil-A was introduced to her on her first date with her now-husband, who told her that one day they would own a Chick-fil-A restaurant, Annah said.

"A Petal resident for the last seven years with her husband and two children, (Annah) Johnson looks forward to bringing Chick-fil-A's delicious food and signature hospitality to her own neighbors," Chick-fil-A said in a news release.

Annah Johnson said she is excited about the new opportunity.

“Being part of the Chick-fil-A family has been a wonderful blessing," Johnson said. "I am so lucky to call Petal home and raise my two children here, and I am eternally grateful to become the operator of Petal’s own Chick-fil-A. I’ve had many wonderful opportunities to help, influence and serve communities in my home state through Chick-fil-A, and I look forward to partnering with local non-profit organizations and the school system in Petal while offering a fun and inviting work environment for our team members.”

Chick-fil-A also announced that the restaurant is recognizing "100 local heroes that make an impact in the area by providing them with free Chick-fil-A meals for a year."

Social Media Director Jared Stump said the community heroes from Petal were members of the Petal police and fire departments and the regionwide AAA Ambulance, which serves Petal residents.

“We wanted to get a trifecta of first-responders,” he said. “We also made donations to local food banks and other organizations.”

Chick-fil-A "is excited to expand its presence in the Hattiesburg-Laurel area with this opening and serve the Petal community. To celebrate the opening, Chick-fil-A is donating $25,000 to Feeding America to aid in the fight against hunger in the local community, the press release states.

"Additionally, Chick-fil-A Petal will participate in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program to donate surplus food to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits in need," according to Chick-fil-A.

The Petal restaurant joins six other Chick-fil-A restaurants serving the wider Hattiesburg-Laurel market.

Chick-fil-A also will donate surplus food to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits in need.

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Petal, MS opens its first Chick-fil-A