Chicken salad lovers lined up around the building on Wednesday for the grand opening of the Athens location of Chicken Salad Chick.

Teairah and Shannon, who were first in line, set up camp at 5 p.m. the evening before and camped out in their spot overnight.

When asked why Shannon said, “My boss is crazy. That’s the only answer I can give you, sister.” Teairah said it was for “chicken salad,” of course.

“I just really like Chicken Salad Chick,” said Rick Henson, the hundredth person in line.

As the official first person in line, Teairah will receive free chicken salad every week for a year.

The environment at Chicken Salad Chick presents a unique culture for employees.

“We just are for our team members and for the community we give back to the community as much as we can. Chicken Salad Chick has a great culture,” Chicken Salad Chick General Manager Leah said.

“We have a couple of sayings here, you know, we say ‘stay chicky,’” Assistant Manager Caitlin said of Chicken Salad Chick’s efforts toward the empowerment of women, who explained that a non-negotiable is to stay positive from open to close.

One thing Chicken Salad Chick is known for is cheeky bathroom decor, particularly in the men’s bathroom.

“Men come up to us and comment on them all the time to say how hilarious they are,” Leah said.

Chicken Salad Chick currently employees around 50 employees, and there are still open positions to apply for.

“My wife told William Ming a few years ago at the hospital when his baby was born that she wanted him to recruit a Chicken Salad Chick,” Commission Chairman Collin Daly said.

“She’s the one who brought it here,” he laughed.

“It is exciting to have different venues coming to Athens, and I want to welcome them here. Not only that, but we have other things coming trying to keep the tax dollars here in the community and, plus, giving people options,” he said.