Jack’s Restaurant in Andalusia had an estimated 2,000 people show up for their opening day by 5 p.m., with people traveling from as far south as Jacksonville, Fla., to enjoy Jack’s chicken.

“Today has been absolutely exciting,” area manager David Denmark said. “We expected to be busy and so far it has lived up to our expectation.”

Denmark is excited the most about being in Andalusia because it is the start of Jack’s journey to the South.

“We are very excited because we are in a new town,” Denmark said. “This is allowing us to grow further south. It is opening up the door for us to be able to set our footprint here down in the ‘L.A.’ Our growth plan is to grow all the way down to the beach, so this is opening sets the footprints for that.”

Beginning at 7 a.m. on opening day, the line of cars in the drive thru of Jack’s wrapped around the building, Denmark said.

“On the average, when cars are wrapped around the building like that, it’s about 25 cars,” Denmark said. “And it has been constant like that all day.”

Diane Jarrell and her family planned their vacation all the way from Jacksonville, Fla., around Jack’s opening.

“We lived in Decatur before we moved down to Jacksonville,” Jarrell said. “But our daughter lives in Andalusia. We missed Jack’s because we were able to get it in Decatur. When our daughter told us that they were opening one in Andalusia, we had to plan our trip around this grand opening.”

Davionna Crittenden and Nyesha Mitchell usually have to travel to Montgomery for Jack’s, but now they are able to get it in their hometown.

“The food here is great,” Crittenden said. “I always stop at the one in Montgomery, but now I can stop here and get their hamburgers.”

Mitchell said that she is excited for Jack’s to be in Andalusia because it’s something new.

“I’m excited to come here now,” Mitchell said. “We don’t always have the opportunity to get something new, and the food is good so that is a plus.”

Terrell Howard and her family drove from Brewton to celebrate her birthday at the new Jack’s.

“It is my birthday and we were all talking about it on Facebook about Andalusia getting a Jack’s,” Howard said. “And I just love Jack’s, so I knew I had to come when the grand opening was on my birthday.”

This isn’t the first time that Andalusia has had a Jack’s, and Tiffany Shufford, who was with the Brewton group, made sure to come again, thanks to her fiancé.

“My fiancé told me that they had the best chicken that he has ever tasted when Andalusia used to have a Jack’s,” Shufford said. “So I traveled here from Brewton with them because I needed to try it and see if it was true.”