After a lot of anticipation and longing for the creamy milkshakes and chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A opens on Lewisville-Clemmons Road this week with a ribbon cutting scheduled for Thursday morning.

The new restaurant planned an overnight camp-out party in advance of the opening with the first 100 adults winning a free meal each week for a year.

“We are thrilled to be in Clemmons,” said manager David Moore, who welcomed members of the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce and the Clemmons village council to a preview on Monday at noon prior to the official opening.

Mayor Nick Nelson and wife Catherine brought their daughter, Kate, to the opening. She dissolved into tears when she met the Chick-fil-A cow mascot. Nelson said his daughter also didn’t think much of Santa Claus.

Visitors got a free sandwich and a tour of the kitchen area where employees breaded the chicken, wrapped the sandwiches and prepared cookies and orders.

A host of company veterans from around the country are on hand to train the local employees. The store has an indoor play area for children and a free library exchange program. Moore has been operator of the company’s Peace Haven Road store in Winston-Salem since 2008. The store planned to provide 10,000 meals on Wednesday for the needy through the Feeding Children Everywhere program.

Store hours will be 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Like all other restaurants in the company, it will be closed on Sunday. There is a dual drive-thru area to speed service.

“Our goal is to provide a remarkable experience for every customer, by serving food our guests can truly feel good about eating, providing sincere hospitality and being a good neighbor,” Moore said.