Meet Lauren Nelson

Operator

When Lauren was thirteen, she visited the Chick-fil-A Support Center with her Dad for the first time and had the opportunity to meet Chick-fil-A Founder, S. Truett Cathy. It was at that time she was truly inspired by his business values and work ethic. Lauren grew up in the restaurant industry, watching her Dad lead his Chick-fil-A restaurant from a young age. Seeing first-hand the dedication it takes to develop a business and how impactful it is to show care for your guests and your team.

Lauren started as a team member at Chick-fil-A Oakwood Shopping Center at fourteen years old and later relocated with her family to the Chick-fil-A Covington-Highway 190 location in June of 2005. As a high school student working at Chick-fil-A she gained invaluable work experience and developed leadership skills at a young age. She was awarded a Chick-fil-A Scholarship for college and began her education at Southeastern Louisiana University in 2008.

Loving the sisterhood she experienced at St. Scholastica Academy high school, she knew she wanted a similar experience in college. She joined Phi Mu Fraternity and served as Treasurer and President during her time in the sorority. After college, she began working on the leadership team at Chick-fil-A Covington-Highway 190 where she began to have dreams of becoming a Chick-fil-A Operator. Lauren was accepted into Chick-fil-A Inc.’s Leadership Development Program where she served as a Grand Opening Supervisor and Interim Manager for two years. Traveling all around the U.S. she found passion in leading teams to believe and achieve in their success.

In 2016, she became the Owner/Operator of the Chick-fil-A Lakeside Shopping Center. During this time, her team was recognized with the highest sales honor from Chick-fil-A, the Symbol of Success. Which then lead her to even more opportunities for growth with a free-standing location. In June 2021 she became the Owner/Operator of the Chick-fil-A Covington Hwy 21.

Lauren met her husband, Trey, while working at Chick-fil-A as teenagers and bonded over a passion for teamwork and serving others. Lauren and Trey run their family-owned business together. Their teamwork extends beyond the business, they have two sons and look forward to the day the whole family will work in the business together.

“Our core values of respect, positivity, and kindness are exemplified in team members and interaction with guests. I am passionate about personal development and growth for all my employees and seek to influence others while challenging them to be the best version of themselves.” – Lauren Nelson