CICERO — It’s finally almost here. The first Chick-fil-A restaurant in upstate New York will open Feb. 22 on Brewerton Road in Cicero.

The 5,000-square-foot eatery will include seating for 112, outdoor seating for 24, and a two-story indoor play area, according to a company news release. The restaurant will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Operated by franchisee and Western New York native Jimmer Szatkowski, the restaurant, like all Chick-fil-As, will be closed on Sundays. 

The day before the opening, the restaurant will hold a “First 100 Campout,” involving 100 volunteers engaging in what the company calls “service opportunities that mirror Szatkowski’s commitment to having a positive impact on the community where he’ll do business.” Those who participate will be awarded with 52 free Chick-fil-A meals, which the company is referring to as a year’s supply.

Those interested in taking part in the First 100 Campout can register at the restaurant from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Feb. 21, according to the release.

Szatkowski is also holding a book drive to benefit Roxboro Road Elementary School.

Szatkowski has a degree in math from SUNY Potsdam and an MBA from Clarkson University. Before applying for a Chick-fil-A franchise, he worked at IBM in supply chain management for two decades.

Chick-fil-A, which specializes in chicken sandwiches, first broke ground on the Cicero restaurant last August.

The Cicero location is the first of four Chick-fil-A restaurants projected to open in the upstate region within a year as the chain expands in the state with its first eateries outside of New York City. The first Rochester–area restaurant will open in Greece in April. Buffalo and Plattsburgh–area locations are slated to open toward the end of the year, the company said.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Chick-fil-A is a family-owned company with more than 2,200 restaurants in 47 states and the District of Columbia. The company reported revenue of more than $9 billion in 2017.