John Howard
John is a former US Air Force C-130 pilot who, after ten years of service and honorably discharged as Captain, decided to partake in a franchise. That franchise was Chick-fil-A, of which he is the the Owner/Operator of the location at Long Beach Towne Center. He opened the restaurant on April 20 of 2006 and has had over six successful years here while looking forward to many more.
Having been initially raised in Compton, his family moved to Long Beach when he was 13, embedding Long Beach culture and its lifestyle into the majority of his teenage life. He left home at age 17 to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, learning to fly airplanes and, after graduating four years later, joined the ranks of our Air Force.
His genuine love for Long Beach is clear when he speaks of his business: “When I found out that Chick-fil-A was planning to open a stand-alone restaurant in Long Beach, I was floored — this was and is a dream come true to be able to operate a high-quality restaurant brand in this awesome city I can call my home. I’ve been to a lot of places all around the world and Long Beach remains the best… Don’t want to change a thing.”