Where can you eat Chick-fil-A, see nearly everyone you know, wear your best dress, and find all the men who brought dates on the dance floor? That would be The Daddy Daughter Date Night that is hosted by the 2 Chick-fil-As in LaGrange, Georgia. Rob Bowman of Chick-fil-A on Lafayette Parkway and Josh Sells of Chick-fil-A on Commerce team together to put on an Event like no other I have heard about. I truly believe that our Chick-fil-As do this absolutely right and they have marketing teams that put their heart and soul into it. The town anticipates tickets going on sale like the Super Bowl, and the event has the reputation of selling out in hours!
The mood is set by using the premier event space in downtown LaGrange. Del’avant hosts weddings and boasts a beautiful ballroom for dinner and dancing. The tables are set with cheerful, full flower arrangements. There are photo booth props, professional portraits, a DJ, and this year a videographer. An enticing dessert bar by Sissy Cakes was spread for everyone after their chicken dinner. Ballroom dance instructors offer a quick dance lesson or two so everyone is able to participate and take their little girl for a spin on the dance floor. Chick-fil-A offers question suggestions to spur conversation and derive answers that tell about a little girl’s heart and where she is right now. Their pleasant and always willing to serve staff helps serve dinner, and princesses, of course, hand out roses. You can just see the excitement in the little faces as they walk in the door.
I love being a part of this event. It spurs community. It supports family and encourages relationships between a little girl and the most important man in her life right now. I’ve seen granddads bring their granddaughters and friends reach out to little girls that may not have a date for the evening. Some daddies have one date, and you can see how special she feels. For some families, this is a right of passage. I asked one dad where his 4th daughter was (he was there with 3 of them), and he said, “You have to be 4 to come to Daddy Daughter Date Night at our house.” Can you imagine how excited that little one is going to be when she gets to join the rank of big girls?! The hard work is worth it to see all the fun going on. On Friday night (did I mention they had to open up 2 nights this year?!), as one dad left, he shook Rob and Josh’s hand and said, “This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” Love it.
In between the line of the photo booth and portrait pictures, I try to document a little action and emotion going on in the room. Enjoy the photos and mark your calendars to look for Daddy Daughter Date Night 2019!
