Residents of Miami Shores have known for a couple years that a Chick-fil-A was making its way to their village sooner or later, and now, it’s finally up and running.
That’s right, fried chicken-lovers, the wait is over. Located at 9190 Biscayne Blvd., the new fast-food joint is officially open from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday (though still notoriously closed on Sundays).
No matter how long it took from the moment the site plan was approved in 2022 to the restaurant’s grand opening last month, however, there’s one person who’s been waiting for this moment longer than anybody else. His name is Jon Harmeling, and he’s your newest neighbor.
(Courtesy of Jon Harmeling)
Chick-fil-A staff at the Miami Shores location waiting to serve.
Not only is Harmeling the operator of the Miami Shores Chick-fil-A, but he’s also a soon-to-be resident of the village itself, with plans to move close to his new business by the end of the year.
Harmeling is no stranger to South Florida, though, and certainly no stranger to the Chick-fil-A franchise. The new business owner came full circle from his native home in Plantation to his newfound place of work less than 30 miles away – but in order to get to where he is now, Harmeling had to take the scenic route.
Across the Globe
Harmeling’s journey traversed several states in the U.S., Germany and Afghanistan before he made his way back home in 2020. All of that to get his hands on his very own Chick-fil-A? Well, not exactly.
(Courtesy of Jon Harmeling)
Jon Harmeling, operator of the Miami Shores Chick-fil-A
Though the selection process to operate a Chick-fil-A restaurant is indeed highly competitive and selective, and Harmeling was chosen out of thousands of applicants, his expansive footprint is really due to his being a veteran of the U.S. army. That said, his military training and his Chick-fil-A training have been inextricably tied for years.
On Aug. 31, 2018, while stationed in Georgia, Harmeling was invited by a military colleague to tour the Chick-fil-A Support Center in Atlanta. That very night, he returned to his hotel, went online and applied to be an owner-operator of his own restaurant.
Harmeling said he was blown away by the atmosphere and the dignity with which each worker was treated. He was especially drawn to the motto “people over profits,” which he heard in passing yet has never left his mind.
(Courtesy of Jon Harmeling)
Jon Harmeling began his affiliation with Miami Shores as an active U.S. military officer.
“Right at that season of my life when I found out about that, I was shifting more towards, ‘What am I doing with my life that is going to be a legacy that I’m proud of?’ So to partner with a company whose mission statement directly aligns with my personal mission statement – I knew I had to apply,” said Harmeling.
From then on, as he continued to travel the world, Harmeling made sure to locate whichever Chick-fil-A was closest to him at any given moment. He volunteered part-time at restaurants in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, trying his best to gain experience, familiarize himself with the fast-paced environment and stand out throughout the selection process.
“I had the goal of serving in every position in the restaurant,” Harmeling said. “Fortunately, I think that paid dividends not only for my own knowledge, but by being able to speak to the challenges of each role.”
Though the job may be much safer than being on active military duty, Harmeling said it was more challenging than he expected to work in a kitchen at the back of a Chick-Fil-A..He paints an alarming picture: Just imagine being in the middle of a lunch rush only to turn around and realize someone forgot to make the biscuits.
With all the hands-on exposure he was getting to his newly idealized lifestyle, there was just one problem: Harmeling was still an active-duty soldier with no clear way out.
That’s when he got a call from his doctor.
Harmeling was diagnosed with rapidly spreading melanoma skin cancer. The medical staff was unsure if it had spread to his lymph nodes at the time, but luckily, they had caught it early and his reasons to fear dissipated.
The diagnosis granted Harmeling an early medical retirement from the army in 2020, right as he was reaching the final stages of the Chick-fil-A selection process. He returned home to South Florida and spent the next few years working full-time as a back-of-house director at Chick-fil-A’s in Coconut Creek and Deerfield Beach.
“It was a pretty wild series of events with incredible highs and very low lows, but I could not be more thrilled to be partnering with my local Chick-fil-A here in my hometown in South Florida,” he said.
Home, Sweet Home
(/Kate Baumwell)
Jon Harmeling and his family at the new Chick-Fil-A in Miami Shores
Now, nearly six years after he was first introduced to the company, Harmeling can be found managing day-to-day activities, serving guests and overseeing approximately 130 full- and part-time employees at his very own Chick-fil-A. In doing so, he hopes to create “the most caring business in Miami Shores.”
When Harmeling spoke to Biscayne Times, not only was he on his third energy drink of the day, but he also had just finished meeting with several leaders of local nonprofits.
Chick-fil-A Miami Shores is recognizing 100 “local heroes” making an impact in the Miami area by offering free entrees for a year, in addition to already having donated $25,000 to Feeding South Florida to support local hunger relief efforts.
The restaurant will additionally partake in the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program, which redirects leftover food to local soup kitchens, shelters, food banks and nonprofits.
It will also be one of Harmeling’s responsibilities to tailor additional philanthropic efforts to meet the needs of the Miami Shores community.
“There’s just so much good you can do, and to use the restaurant and food as a tool in order to do good and have that positive influence — that’s why I get out of bed each day,” Harmeling said.
In the meantime, you’re likely to spot the whole Harmeling gang over at the brand new Chick-fil-A, right across from Publix. That includes Harmeling’s wife, who is taking on the role of director of hospitality, and Harmeling’s 13-year-old son, who’s learning a thing or two to prepare him for the moment he’s ready to enter the workforce.
Plus, of course, Harmeling himself will be there, if not on his third or fourth energy drink of the day then likely sitting in a corner enjoying his favorite, go-to meal: an original chicken sandwich with Chick-fil-A sauce, a large fry and a large sweet tea.