Today, Pate will officially open the new location of his restaurant at the Verandah Food Court in Magnolia Mall. The outdoor Chick-fil-A drive-through location beside Burger King near the mall will remain in place.

The restaurant, which has been located at the western end of the mall near Belk department store since it first opened, is one of the more popular eating places at Magnolia Mall.

Pate said he hopes to be in his new location for as long as he was in the first one.

“Florence, more specifically, Magnolia Mall, has been our home for more than 25 years,” he said. “As we move to our new location within the mall, we look forward to continuing to serve our loyal customers for many years to come.”

To celebrate the move, Chick-fil-A is giving the first 100 adults in line today a one-year supply of Chick-fil-A combo meal coupons.

The restaurant also will have a spinning wheel to give customers an additional chance to win free food and prizes. In total, Chick-fil-A will give away almost $26,000 in food prizes today to kick off the new location.

The move is just the latest in a series of changes at Magnolia Mall. After an extensive renovation, which included the creation of the Verandah Food Court and the construction of a Best Buy a few years ago, several business moved to new locations.

For Chick-fil-A, letting people know they’ll still be in the mall, just not in the same location, is key.

“We really blitzed the mall today, with flyers, to let people know we’re moving, and there was a lot of excitement about it,” said Debbie Trussell, marketing director for Chick-fil-A.

The mall’s continuing transformation has generated much discussion among mall merchants about potential new retailers there. Chick-fil-A had a 25-year lease at its former location, but Magnolia Mall management would not renew the lease for that location because of negotiations with new retailers, Trussell said. She said rumors go around about what the mall’s management has planned for open locations, but management isn’t saying.

“You hear all kinds of rumors about different retailers, but the management won’t tell you anything until they have a signed contract,” she said.

Trussell said centralizing the food retailers into one location makes it easier for customers, and while moving from the location you’ve been in for 25 years is difficult, she thinks it will be a good move in the long run.

“It’s a beautiful location, and congregating the food retailers in one place will be good for business,” she said.