Vehicles line up for the grand opening of Chick-fil-A Thursday morning in St. Clairsville. The eatery opened its drive-thru window only.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Chick-fil-A welcomed hundreds of new customers during its grand opening Thursday.

The fast food chain began serving hungry, new customers bright and early at 6:30 a.m. through its drive-thru window only, due to statewide health department restrictions in relation to the coronavirus.

Joe Bell, spokesman for Cafaro Co., the mall’s parent company, said the opening marks one of 18 restaurants and eateries at the Ohio Valley Mall that will continue to serve food via carry-out or delivery.

Chick-fil-A Business Manager Hannah Yount said more than 350 people had driven through the drive-thru before noon on the opening day.

“We have been pretty steady all day so far. It’s been a great turnout,” she said.

Employees were busy working in the midst of a lunch rush, she said.

“We’re cranking through it,” she added.

The eatery is famous for serving a variety of chicken entrees including breakfast, lunch and dinner options and has stores across the country.

Although the “12-hour First 100 Campout” that promised free chicken for a year for the first 100 customers was canceled, the chain still rewarded its customers with various promotions and coupons. Yount said customers received “surprise and delights” including free meals.

Yount said the opening was a success and the company looks forward to serving customers of the Ohio Valley.

“We’re very excited,” she said.

The new 5,000-square-foot St. Clairsville location is located next to Longhorn Steakhouse outside of the Ohio Valley Mall.

The fast food chain is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, except for Sundays when it is closed. The dining room of the new restaurant will not open until further notice. Only the drive-thru window remains open at this time.

Additionally, the Highlands outside Triadelphia also recently welcomed a Chick-fil-A last month located between Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and WesBanco.