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LAPLACE — Chick-fil-A’s much anticipated LaPlace location is opening for business at 6 a.m. March 24 at 1525 W. Airline Highway.

The new restaurant adds approximately 120 jobs to the community, and owner/operator Jasmine Spraggins said most of the employees reside in St. John the Baptist Parish.

A “first bite” and ribbon cutting ceremony was held with St. John Parish officials and business leaders Wednesday morning in advance of the grand opening.

Spraggins is thrilled to introduce Chick-fil-A to the LaPlace community. The opportunity has allowed her and her 3-year-old son, Liam, to relocate closer to family.

Written in the door frame of the restaurant is a Bible verse that inspires Spraggins daily: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.”

“That’s what means the most to me here. I would rather us do everything really well and for my team to feel the care and support from me than to make all the money in the world,” Spraggins said. “I want us to be known as a good restaurant. I want my team to know that I’m here for them, I love them, our community loves them, and our community enjoys having a Chick-fil-A.”

Spraggins began her career with Chick-fil-A in 2011. At 17 years old, she worked at the Chick-fil-A Newton Plaza in Georgia and eventually advanced to become the restaurant’s director of operations. After receiving a team member scholarship in 2014, she began Chick-fil-A’s leadership development program and supported a total of 13 restaurant grand openings across the country. She most recently worked as operator for the Chick-fil-A inside the Alexandria Mall.

Spraggs said the newest employees at Chick-fil-A LaPlace have been trained on how to work the drive-thru, greet customers, and quickly move orders from the kitchen to the customer. While Spraggins loves her older employees, she has a soft spot for the high schoolers who have chosen Chick-fil-A LaPlace as their first job. She was in their shoes 10 years ago, and she sees the potential that lies within them.

“It looks like they really want to work and be part of a team, and I’m excited about that,” Spraggins said.

Joe Wendling, grand opening supervisor from the Chick-fil-A support center, has worked with the LaPlace team since December to make sure the new location is set up for success.

Several elected officials were on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday, including Parish President Jaclyn Hotard, Sheriff Mike Tregre, Assessor Lucien Gauff III and members of the St. John Parish Council.

Hotard said the community has dreamed of having a Chick-fil-A for many years. She and others drove by the location often and watched the site move from dirt to a brick-and-mortar building.

“We will be customers, but we will be right here, side-by-side with you. We want to see you succeed,” Hotard said.

Sheriff Tregre said Chick-fil-A LaPlace has hired deputies to assist with traffic control during the grand opening.

“You guys have a very good reputation of getting things done quickly, and I have no doubt that you will be able to do that here as well,” Tregre said.

Chick-fil-A LaPlace will be open for dine-in, drive-thru and carry-out. Guests will also be able to take advantage of contactless ordering and payment through the Chick-fil-A app or by placing a mobile order for pick-up at https://order.chick-fil-a.com/location.

According to a company press release, Chick-fil-A LaPlace will be surprising 100 local heroes with free Chick-fil-A for a year. In honor of the new restaurant opening, Chick-fil-A will also donate $25,000 to Feeding America to combat hunger in the greater New Orleans area.

Starting Thursday, business hours will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.