By Brodey Weber

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015 the long awaited Chick-Fil-A opened it’s doors for the first time in Lincoln. The store is located on South 27th Street by SouthPointe Pavillion.

The celebration of the grand opening started hours before the actual opening due to the soon-to-be loyal customers camping out to earn themselves some free Chick-Fil-A. One  way people could earn free food was by standing out in the cold and waiting 24 hours for the establishment to open for business, because first 100 customers received a card that included 52 available meals for free;one for every week of the year.

While the franchise may be new to Lincoln, it’s been a familiar friend in other parts of the state. Omaha currently has three franchises, while Bellevue and Papillion have one location each. Bellevue was the first  to have a Chick-Fil-A in Nebraska when it opened on Nov. 1, 2012.

Senior Nicole Bogus, who made the trip to South Lincoln within the first week of the opening, said, “I had no idea how much I loved Chick-Fil-A. Don’t get me wrong, Raising Canes is still my place, but Chick-Fil-A is giving it a run for its money.”

Senior Courtney Faller not only loves the food, but the convenience of the new location, being in the same city. Faller said “I can’t even count how many times I’ve had to drive and hour both ways to Omaha with my friends just to get my eight count nuggets.”

While Chick-Fil-A has been packed ever since their opening, not all Gators are fans. Junior Alexa Mustard said, “I don’t see the big deal. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not my favorite. I don’t know why, but I just don’t like it.”

Some other criticisms of the food chain can be linked to their political views, which have  been the subject of controversy for several years. In 2011,Chick-Fil-A co-sponsored a marriage conference with the Pennsylvania Family Institute, an organization that has opposed same-sex marriage legislation. In September 2012, according to The Civil Rights Agenda, Chick-Fil-A has “ceased donating to organizations that promote discrimination, specifically against LGBT civil rights.”

Senior Daisy Rodriguez said, “I don’t agree with their political ideology and feel that financially supporting them as a business only furthers their political causes, and no chicken is worth that.”

Senior Sarah Kay said, “While I don’t agree with them politically, I don’t think their stances have affected the way they operate their establishment drastically. Also, who can resist their waffle fries?”