CANTON, Ohio — To say John Carucci is a regular at a North Canton Chick-fil-A is an understatement.
He visited the same Dressler Road location with his wife for years and bonded with the staff and owner, Doug Pugh.
In 2019, when Carucci’s wife, Laura, lost her battle with cancer, restaurant employees invited Carucci to Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings.
“It was just an outpouring of love, you might want to call it,” he said. “It was just nice to experience that.”
Carucci, who works remotely for a commercial roofing supply business, began the streak to say thanks to the restaurant staff.
“December 17 of 2020 that I actually started the streak,” he said. “It was something I saw on Google. Some guy said he did it 129 days. I told Doug, ‘That’s simple. That’s easy for me. Let’s just see what I can do.’”
When Carucci hit 500, he and Pugh visited Chick-Fil-A’s corporate headquarters in Atlanta.
“At Chick-fil-A, we’re really trying to say it’s about the one,” Pugh said. “Each one that comes in. When you’re in front of me, you’re the one. I think when we treat each person as the one in that moment, then we develop the relationships like we have with John now.”
Along with family trips to Orlando and Vegas, Carucci kept his streak intact, racking up the points along the way.
The father of two hopes to shoot for 1,500 consecutive days, except for Sunday. Carucci said he’ll always treasure the experience and camaraderie along the way.
“People are generally just very nice,” he said. “Once you get to know them, and you can pass them by in the street and not know who they are, everybody has a story. I have a good time. This is all about fun. Not looking for any recognition. I’m not looking for any free chicken. I just want to eat my lunch.”
