Chick-fil-A Fans Camp in Subzero Temps for Free Food

Die-hard fans of the often-controversial Chick-fil-A chain camped out in subzero temperatures for an opening in Elmhurst, Illinois, suffering through the cold to earn free Chick-fil-A meals for a year. WGN reports that dozens of people camped out overnight in "tents and survival gear" to be among the first inside. It's a Chick-fil-A tradition to offer the first 100 customers one free meal (a sandwich, fries, and a drink) every week for a year: some fans travel out-of-state for each successive franchise opening in an attempt to score the deal. The Elmhurst Patch reports that some people started pitching their tents in the Chick-fil-A parking lot at 7a.m. the day before the official opening, despite snow on the ground from an earlier storm.

In this festive, fan-made video on YouTube, one woman reports the Elmhurst camp-out is her 22nd Chick-fil-A opening. According to WGN, the restaurant ultimately allowed people to wait out their final hours inside the restaurant itself, due to "extreme cold." The news video, below:

Video: Chick-fil-A Fans Camp Out in Bitter Cold

· Chick-fil-A Fans Camp Out in Bitter Cold [WGN via HuffPo]
· All Chick-fil-A Coverage on Eater [-E-]