The first Chick-fil-A came to Delaware County in 1974, when owner Gene Ontjes of Middletown brought the fast-food restaurant to the Granite Run Mall, writes Peg DeGrassa for the Daily Times.
It’s been 50 years since the Granite Run Mall store opened, and even though the mall is gone, Ontjes keeps the popular franchise going with busy locations in Springfield and Ridley Townships.
Ontjes was a partner with RTM Restaurant Group in Atlanta, which owned 20 Arby’s restaurants, when he met Chick-fil-A founder Samuel Truett Cathy at a trade show.
Cathy convinced Ontjes to try his Chick-fil-A meal.
“My first thought was, oh my goodness, they are going to get sued serving chicken on a bun as a sandwich,” Ontjes said, with a smile. “But then I bit in and realized that the chicken was boneless. As soon as I tasted it, I knew customers would love it.”
Ontjes left the RTM Group and opened his first Chick-fil-A in August 1974 at the brand-new Granite Run Mall.
It was a 10-year process that included lots of free samples to convince the hamburger-eating Delaware Countians to eat chicken, he recalled.
Read more about the origins of Delaware County’s Chick-fil-A franchise in the Daily Times.
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in January 2025.
