BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Chester’s Chicken and Love’s Travel Stops teamed up to create the first holiday season celebration to say thanks to truck drivers: Truckersgiving. On Nov. 18, Chester’s and Love’s celebrated these essential road warriors by inviting them in for a pit stop to receive a specially designed trucker hat and free side of Chester’s new mac and cheese.
For more than 50 years, Chester’s Chicken has gained a cult following as a unique roadside destination with fans including truckers and road trippers. With more than 1,200 locations and successful store-in-store concepts spanning truck stops and convenience stores, a collaboration to honor some of its biggest customers, truckers, was a natural fit, the company said.
“Truck drivers are more essential than ever due to the challenges brought on by the global pandemic. We rely on them to deliver critical goods — fuel, food, medicine, vaccines, etc. — that we’ve become so accustomed to in our daily lives,” said William Culpepper, vice president of marketing, Chester’s Chicken. “When the supply chain was disrupted, truckers and the important work they perform were rightfully applauded. We established what we hope to become an annual holiday, Truckersgiving, to praise and thank truck drivers for all they do, including the acknowledgement that many are away from their families during the holiday season.”
Within Love’s more than 560 locations in 41 states, there are more than 140 Chester’s restaurants — and more opening every week. According to Love’s, the week prior to Thanksgiving is busier with truck traffic than Thanksgiving week, making it the ideal time to treat these drivers.
“Love’s enjoys any reason to celebrate professional truck drivers, and Truckersgiving is a fun and festive way to do that,” said Joe Cotton, vice president of restaurant services, Love’s. “We know drivers enjoy Chester’s Chicken, so this is a great way to say thank you to truck drivers during the holidays.”
Chester’s notes that its new mac and cheese along with two additional homestyle sides, mashed potatoes with roasted chicken gravy and green beans, are part of its brand refresh.
To learn more, visit chesterschicken.com.
