Meet John and Cristina Crays: Operator and Director, Chick-fil-A Avalon

We had the good fortune of connecting with John and Cristina Crays and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cristina, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Cristina: John worked for Chick-fil-A in high school and college, then left Chick-fil-A to pursue a career in IT in 1995. In 2002, we had just had our first child and I had decided to become a stay-at-home mom. John realized he was no longer passionate about his job and wanted to pursue a different career. He had worked with his best friend Bryan Shepard at Chick-fil-A North Dekalb Mall while in high school. Bryan had continued with Chick-fil-A and was now an Owner/Operator at the Phipps Plaza location. After a long conversation with Bryan, John decided to pursue an opportunity with Chick-fil-A. One of the main reasons he was drawn to the possibility of working with Chick-fil-A was the ability to run a small business and lead a team of people. He felt so passionate about this vision and loved the idea of returning to work with the company that he had learned so much from when he was younger. Reading Andy’s Stanley’s book “Visioneering” during this time really helped John as he made this decision. In 2003, he took over his first location off of Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain, then after two successful years he opened a new store in Downtown Decatur. In 2017 he had the opportunity to open a restaurant at Avalon in Alpharetta, where he continues to work today. This restaurant is located just five miles from our home and is very near our family’s school and church community! 

What should our readers know about your business?
Deciding to leave my corporate job and open a Chick-fil-A Franchise was a huge risk and leap of faith. Cristina had just left her job to be a stay-at-home mom, so we were a one-income family and there was no guarantee that our restaurant would be successful. But after much thought and prayer, we decided to take the leap and it was a huge win for our family. Our team was able to make the restaurant profitable and grow sales in the two years I was there before opening the Decatur restaurant. We have been fortunate to win the Symbol of Success, Chick-fil-A’s most prestigious award, three times. I cannot imagine still working in a job that I was not passionate about after the wonderful journey we have had with Chick-fil-A. We have always focused on care for our team. We know that if we care, love and take care of our team of employees then they will take care of our guests – that has proven to be our single most important factor for us. I am proud of our team at Avalon and so thankful for them because they are the key to our success.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We think Avalon is a great place to visit and has something for everyone! Check out the unique high end retail stores including a mix of popular brands like Lululemon, Kendra Scott, Urban Outfitters and Banana Republic to boutique retail including Fabrik, Peter Millar and Scout and Molly’s. Enjoy a meal any foodie would love at Oak Steakhouse, Branch and Barrel or Superica. Plan your staycation and stay at the premier boutique Hotel Avalon. Enjoy the outdoor space on the lawn that converts to an ice rink during the holidays. Finally, enjoy a feature film at Regal Avalon. Avalon is the place to be in Alpharetta at any time of the year.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would like to dedicate our shoutout to our team at Chick-fil-A Avalon! They are some of the hardest working people we know and really make our dream a reality. We call them our dreamy teamy. We honestly could not do it without them and they get the props for taking care of our guests day in and day out. THANK YOU, dreamy teamy!

Website: https://www.chick-fil-a.com/locations/ga/avalon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfaatavalon/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFAatAvalon/