Chick-fil-A is set to mark the opening of its first store in Queens by offering free meals for a year to the first 100 people in line.

Located in the Queens Center mall, the new outlet is slated to officially open on Sept. 1, at 9:30 a.m. As part of its "First 100" promotion, the first 100 patrons 18 and older will win 52 meals for the year. The digital offer cards given to each winner represent a grand total of $37,000 in free food.

Rules Apply

Rules stipulate that only residents residing in one of the five boroughs are eligible and if more than 100 people are on-site when the line is officially allowed to form at 5 p.m. on Aug. 31, all 100 spots will be determined by a drawing held later that evening.

The new owner of the location is native Queens resident Paul Daniels, who estimates he will need to employ a staff of somewhere around 80 part-time and full-time workers. He stressed all of the employees will be area residents and will be paid more than $12 minimum wage set to go into effect later this year.

"Queens is a thriving global community, and my goal for this restaurant is to establish a global family," he said. "I want to make sure that my team members seize the opportunity to learn from one another and embrace the qualities that make each one of us unique."

Currently, there are two other Chick-fil-A locations in Manhattan, and the three will now partner to donate surplus food supplies to the New York Common pantry for hungry families.

Opposition Expressed

Not long ago, the chain drew heavy criticism over strong anti-LGBT sentiments expressed by CEO and President Dan T. Cathy, a reality openly gay New York Counciman Daniel Dromm pointed to in requesting that mall officials "reconsider" the company's lease.

"I am deeply disturbed that Chick-fil-A continues to give 25 percent of their charitable contributions to anti-LGBT organizations," he said in a statement. "This group imparts a strong anti-LGBT message by forcing their employees and volunteers to adhere to a policy that prohibits same-sex love."

After Cathy's rant, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is also on record in expressing his opposition to the chain setting up another outlet in his city.

"I'm certainly not going to patronize them and I wouldn't urge any other New Yorker to patronize them," he said back in May. "But they do have a legal right."

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