Northwest Held Ribbon Cutting on Chick-fil-A Restaurant

by Sarah Smith

Senatobia, MS (10/13/2023) — Northwest Mississippi Community College held their ribbon cutting for the Chick-fil-A on October 12 at 1:15 p.m. The long-anticipated opening has been met with much excitement and a rush of customers from Northwest and the Senatobia community to Northwest's the McClendon Center.

The Northwest Board of Trustees President, Cory Uselton, spoke on behalf of the Board saying what a blessing this arrival is to both the college and community.

"It's definitely an enhancement to our campus," Uselton said.

Chick-fil-A landing at Northwest is contributing to a culture of college students who want to live on campus and get the college experience, as well as serving a community striving towards the future of growth.

"At Northwest, we believe that the student experience comes first on campus, and what better way to display that than to partner with a company whose chief difference among its competitors is customer service?" said Dr. Michael Heindl, President of Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Antonio Griffin, Food Service Director at Chick-fil-A through Aladdin Campus Dinning, is elated to open after the college's years of planning. Griffin said this doesn't only provide a wonderful option for dining, but also employment and a chance for others to see the Chick-fil-A culture.

"The team is ready and enthused," Griffin said. "They cannot wait to serve Northwest and Senatobia. It's our pleasure."

The announcement for this restaurant came in early 2022, and in September officially opened to the public. The restaurant is welcome to everyone, and the Northwest administration asks that people please only park in the yellow marked spaces and the visitor spaces.

The Chick-fil-A seats 160 patrons and offers all the typical helpings that you would find through an ordinary Chick-fil-A restaurant. Mobile order ahead through the app are currently unavailable, but anyone is welcome to dine-in or take out.

"We couldn't be happier to be in this partnership with Aladdin to bring such a quality brand to our campus for students to enjoy," Jeff Horton, Vice-President for Administration and Finance at Northwest Mississippi Community College. "This restaurant is a huge asset to our campus and also to the local communities of Senatobia and Tate County."

This opening is a collaborate effort between Aladdin, Chick-fil-A Corporate, Innovative Construction Management (ICM), and Northwest Mississippi Community College. Dr. Heindl poignantly pointed out how all these organizations have similar values for how they want to meet their customers in their mission to how Northwest looks to serve their students and community.

Also on hand for the ribbon cutting were representatives from Chick-fil-A Oxford, Tate County Board of Supervisors, Tate County Economic Development Foundation, and Ranger Cheer and Dance teams.

Other the speakers at yesterday's event include Claire Scruggs, SGA President; Jaime Anderson, Chair of the Building Committee of the Northwest Board of Trustees; Tony Sandridge, President of Tate County Board of Supervisors; Casey Rodgers, President of ICM; and Britt Herrin, Executive Director of Tate County Economic Development Foundation.

"On behalf of Chick-fil-A, we are happy to be here," said Chick-fil-A's Senior Principal Lead, Jeff Heath. "It's a big moment for us. Go Rangers!"

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