Earlier this month, Sereena Quick opened a Chick-fil-A franchise in West Philadelphia, making her the first Black woman to own Chick-fil-A franchises in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey.
WPVI-TV reports the grand opening of Quick’s Philadelphia franchise has been in the works for months after she was selected to be the operator earlier this year. The new Chick-fil-A franchise is located at 4040 City Avenue and is expected to create more than 100 jobs.
“It really is astounding just this accomplishment to really inspire and motivate the people in our community,” Quick said according to WPVI-TV.
“The young Black boys and girls in our community, who are going to one day look at me — or even at this opportunity—and say, ‘I too can do this.’”
The West Chester University of Pennsylvania alum has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and the Philadelphia native once owned a water ice truck in Philadelphia. Quick initially joined Chick-fil-A in 2019 after meeting Jon Hooper
, the owner/operator of a Chick-fil-A franchise in California.In just three years, Quick rose from Chick-fil-A’s executive director of a franchise in Malvern, Pennsylvania, alongside owner/operator Chris Walsh, to owning her own location in the state.
“Chris went above and beyond in teaching me how to think, act and lead as an Operator,” Quick said in a Chick-fil-A blog post
.“He empowered me with the autonomy to run the business as if it were my own, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had in his restaurant.”
After more than a decade in law enforcement, Quick is excited about her future with the fast food giant and said her time at the organization has been nothing but positive.
“I have never been a part of an organization that cares more about people,” Quick, a former federal probation officer, said in a Facebook video.
“We prepare our team members with the tools they need. We give them the leadership skills and the teamwork skills.”
Quick isn’t the only Black woman who owns and operates a Chick-fil-A franchise. Earlier this year, Amber Thomas
, who was once an intern at the fast food giant, became the owner of San Diego’s only Black-owned Chick-fil-A franchise.