Enthusiasts and aficionados of fried chicken rejoice: Chick-fil-A has at long last opened a location in Springfield. After many months of planning, construction, and postponed openings, the chain’s 2,000th restaurant – located at White Oaks Mall next to LongHorn Steakhouse – opened its doors to eager customers on March 10.

The excitement was palpable as enthusiastic patrons queued for the restaurant’s 6:00 a.m. opening in a line that stretched well outside of the building. Mall security directed traffic for the drive-thru line that stretched around the block with a 45-minute wait or more.

According to an announcement on Chick-fil-A’s website, the first 100 customers in line would receive one free meal per week for the next year as part of the opening promotion. Some Springfield residents went as far as camping out in front of the restaurant for a chance to win up to 52 free Chick-fil-A meals.

Chick-fil-A’s homecoming is the first time the restaurant has served Springfield’s citizens for nearly 20 years since its previous location inside of White Oaks Mall closed in 1996.

Although Chick-fil-A had previously flirted with the idea of opening a location on the UIS campus, a coalition of students and faculty voiced their opposition to a possible franchise opening.

A report submitted in 2012 to the Student Government Association (SGA) included sharp criticisms of what some claim is Chick-fil-A’s support of anti-gay organizations, which LGBTQ activists say runs counter to the values of UIS.

According to The State Journal-Register’s Jason Nevel, a taskforce created by the SGA found that opening a location at UIS would not, in fact, be a good idea.

The report cited the smaller size of UIS, as well as the cost of opening and running the restaurant year-round while students are on break, as additional reasons for not opening a location on campus.

Regardless of the politics and controversy in which Chick-fil-A is embroiled, I can say from personal experience that their chicken is as tasty as just about any other chicken in town, if not more so. Since its opening, I’ve waited in line for nearly half an hour on three separate occasions without an ounce of regret.

In my opinion, it’s hard to beat their chicken sandwich with waffle fries and an ice cold Coke – as always, served by a friendly and personable employee.

Other fan favorites include their chicken strips (both spicy and original), grilled chicken sandwiches, chicken biscuit breakfast sandwiches, and their milkshakes.

If you’re looking for something to do, or just looking for something new to eat in Springfield, I would highly recommend swinging by Chick-fil-A. Oh, and just a warning: I wouldn’t expect the lines to die down any time in the foreseeable future.