By: Josh Widman SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS)– The Cicero Chick Fil A provides more than food to Central New York. Since opening in late February of 2018, Jimmer Szatkowski (zuh-cow-ski) and his team have made a concerted effort to give back to the community.
“I took the responsibility of opening the first Chick Fil A in Upstate New York very seriously,” Szatkowski said. “A lot of work went into this.”
After months of preparation for the grand opening, Szatkowski has worked even harder. Szatkowski and Chick Fil A give back to the Cicero community in numerous different ways. First, the restaurant’s opening created over 100 jobs. 50 to 60 of which went to local high school students. The chain also sponsors many school and travel league youth sports teams. According to Szatkowski, the people in the area are appreciative of his efforts.
“The community, not just Cicero, but really the Central New York community has blessed us greatly,” Szatkowski said. “In terms of how they’ve received us.”
Szatkowski said that he had no quantitative goals for the first year of operation but wanted to make as big an impact in the community as possible. He went on to say that he had “just started” but it’s safe to say that he’s off to a good start.
“It has been like a miracle, Szatowski explained. “The amount of impact we’ve been able to have in the community
in this first year.”
Szatowski told me that the success the Cicero location is having and the work it is doing for the community, and the positive reaction to that work, is leading to expansion in Upstate New York.
Anchor
Chick Fil A recently celebrated its first year of operation in Upstate New York. N-C-C News’
Josh Widman spoke with the owner and operator of the Chick Fil A in Cicero to see what
the chain has done in its first year.
Jimmer Szatkowski
“I took opening the first Chick Fil A in Upstate New York very seriously.”)
Josh Widman
Jimmer Szatkowski (zuh-cow-ski) Owner and Operator of the chain’s Cicero location is
doing much more than serving chicken to the people of Central New York.
Jimmer Szatkowski
“The vast majority of the 100 or so people that work here are from Cicero so you know,
we’ve helped create opportunity for people here in this community.”
Josh Widman
50 to 60 of those people are local high school students and the community efforts don’t end
there.
Jimmer Szatkowski
“We sponsor lots of teams, both through the school as well as traveling teams.”
Josh Widman
Add food and cash donations to non-profits to the growing list of ways Chick Fil A impacts
this area. And for only its first year of operation, Szatkowski knows how important what he
and the chain are doing is to Cicero.
Jimmer Szatkowski
“It has been like a miracle, the amount of impact we’ve been able to have in the community
in this first year.”
Josh Widman
And according to Szatkowski, people in the area approve.
Jimmer Szatkowski
“The community, not just Cicero, but the Central New York community has blessed us
greatly in terms of how well they’ve recieved us.”
Josh Widman
I reached out to Mark Veneskey, the Town Supervisor of Cicero, and he said while it’s too
early to put a dollar figure on Chick Fil A’s impact, based on the traffic around the store and
in the business distrcit of Cicero, it’s safe to say that Chick Fil A has had a positive impact.
From the Chick Fil A in Cicero, Josh Widman N-C-C News.
