Jason Counselman: Chick-fil-A Franchise Brings Family Home

Jason Counselman, restaurant operator and franchise owner of Chick-fil-A Rincon is proud to be part of the Effingham community of small business owners. Supporting local businesses is very important to him and he appreciates the community’s support of his restaurant.

“People may think we are simply part of a large chain but in reality, this is a family-owned local business with deep roots in our community,” says Jason, “We live here, we work here, and we raise our children here because this is our home.”

Jason was born in Michigan to an Air Force family that was transferred around the country a bit, eventually ending up at Robins Air Force Base in middle Georgia, where his mother retired from the Air Force and the family stayed.

He started working for a Chick-fil-A franchise in 1998 while still in high school. After high school Jason went to college in Pensacola, Florida, where he met his wife, Hannah, who grew up in Claxton. ”We were two Georgia kids who met in college in Florida” says Jason.

Jason started working for Chick-fil-A in their corporate division right out of college in 2005, and after three years on the corporate side he opened his first franchise in 2008 in Davenport, Iowa. In 2012 he opened a new Chick-fil-A franchise in Peoria, Illinois, and in 2019 he opened the Rincon restaurant.

Now a family of four, Jason, Hannah and their two children, Juliet (12) and Jackson (10) were overjoyed to make the move to Georgia.

“All our family is still here,” says Jason, “which was a big part of why we chose to open the business in Rincon. Being around our extended family, especially having our children be part of their grandparents lives and vice versa, has been wonderful.”

Southern Hospitality

“We love Effingham and Effingham loves Chick-fil-A!” says Jason. “The city was easy to work with and helpful when we were building the restaurant. We received a very warm welcome.”

He says he brought four managers with him from the Midwest and “they had heard me use the phrase ‘Southern Hospitality’ but didn’t understand until they were here in Georgia and really learned what that meant.”

The Rincon restaurant employs a large number of local people, anywhere from 100 to 150 workers contributing positively to the local employment picture. Jason says he appreciates his team members, “We couldn’t do it without each and every one of them,”
and although the worker shortage has been a challenge, overall, the business is doing very well.

Jason wants customers to know their inside dining room is open, “We are open for inside dining, drive thru and food delivery. You can order at the counter and by using our mobile app, which is an easy way to limit contact with employees and have food delivered straight to your dining table.”

Past events such as “Daddy Daughter Date Night” were a tremendous success, but plans for indoor dining room events, and using their new food trailer, are on pause. They have been participating in outdoor community events like parades and look forward to resuming indoor events soon.

Family Fun

The family enjoys being outdoors, visiting beaches, and spending time together. Jason says, “This is our home. We’re here forever.”