The Chick-fil-A(R) restaurant at Eastside Market has found a bigger-than-life way to commemorate a relatively little-known holiday, raising eyebrows and thousands of dollars in charitable donations in the process. In recognition of "National Lemonade Day" (Aug. 20), Chick-fil-A franchise Operator Arthur Greeno and his restaurant team members set a new Guinness World Record earlier today by creating an 839-gallon cup of lemonade.
The colossal concoction, created using the recipe for the chain's popular freshly squeezed Chick-fil-A(R) Lemonade, was officially certified late this morning by Guinness Book of World Records representative Danny Girton Jr. during an event held at the restaurant. The record-setting refreshment was mixed in a nearly 1,100-gallon fiberglass cup designed to resemble Chick-fil-A's signature foam cup and contained 1,050 lbs. (2,175 cups) of sugar, 580 gallons of water, 250 lbs. of ice and 11,730 Sunkist(R) lemons that yielded 145 gallons of lemon juice. The beverage was officially recognized as setting a Guinness World Record for the Largest Cup of Soft Drink, eclipsing the previous record held by Rob Greenlee of the Florida Department of Citrus who concocted a 611.18 gallon cup of orange juice on April 22, 1998.
"I'm extremely proud of my team members for all of their hard work, and I owe a debt of gratitude to those local businesses and individuals responsible for helping me achieve this ambitious goal," said Greeno of his Guinness Record-setting feat. "The community truly came together and helped in countless ways to achieve this record, as well as to raise money for a worthwhile local cause."
After official measurements were taken, the record-setting lemonade supplied several "Sunkist Take a Stand" lemonade stands set up outside the restaurant as a way to collect charitable donations to benefit Little Light House, a Tulsa-based developmental center serving young children with special needs, from birth through six years old. The lemonade stand fundraising goal of $10,000 was achieved on event day, with additional funds still coming in.
"When Arthur approached us with the idea to pursue the Guinness World Record for the largest glass of lemonade, we were quickly won over by his enthusiasm and commitment to achieving this ambitious goal," said Sunkist representative Sarah Matejowsky. "We quickly coordinated the delivery of 108 complimentary crates of lemons [approximately 12,400 lemons] and helped spearhead Arthur's charitable efforts as part of our 'Take a Stand' initiative. We couldn't be prouder to be part of such a fun and worthwhile endeavor."
Greeno and his restaurant team members are no strangers to larger-than-life exploits. Last year, Greeno and his team created a 130-gallon Hand-Spun Milkshake -- while the feat did not achieve a Guinness World Record, it certainly turned heads in Tulsa.
With several freshly prepared items to choose from on Chick-fil-A's menu, Greeno shouldn't run out of ideas for record-setting attempts any time soon. When asked if he planned to follow up this latest feat with a future attempt, Greeno responded, "I wouldn't rule it out."
Source :
www.sunkist.com
www.chick-fil-a.com
