I don’t eat that much fast food of any sort these days, but on the non-burger side of things, the only fast food place I might prefer to Chick-Fil-A is Bojangles.
With fast food, a key factor is whether there’s a franchise at someplace I’ll be going to or driving by anyway. In my case, Chick-Fil-A is, and Bojangles isn’t, so Chick-Fil-A wins.
I also am a fan of the fact that, regardless of the motivation for it, they’re closed one day a week. Getting a day off on a regular basis, not having to work too many days in a row, is important for the well-being of the workers.
And you may snipe that they have to take that particular day off, that they don’t get to choose - but how does that compare with other fast food chains: does McDonalds guarantee that you’ll get your choice of days off each week? Do they guarantee that you’ll get any day off each week? Chick-Fil-A workers aren’t going to get a call telling them they have to come in on their regular day off.
I don’t know how Chick-fil-a appears to have cornered the market on this, but I can tell you I cried before every shift I had at arbys when I was in high school because it sucked. so. much. but I always got top marks for ‘positive mental attitude’ so maybe they genuinely love it, or they’re always happy to go clean the walk in so they can have a quiet sob. Who knows.
As others have said, the food is maybe only slightly better than average. It is the other aspects.
Even if the line is long, the service is fast. They always seem to have enough employees to run the business even at peak hours. I have seen CFA drive-throughs with the line that literally wraps around the building twice and they make that thing hum with efficiency.
The restaurants are clean. Even the bathrooms. Most MacDonald’s or Burger King bathrooms look like they were cleaned sometime last Monday and you expect to see someone shooting up in the back stall.
The employees are friendly. Always. Most other fast food employees look like they wish you would just go away.
Lastly, I LIKE that they are closed on Sunday. I LIKE for employees to be treated well.
am a little annoyed by the whole “anti-gay” thing. Yes the founder is religious and has religious views, but when that night club in Florida was shot up, they opened on a Sunday and brought free food to the site for everybody.
Making a commercial with a rainbow and paying lip service is nice, I guess, but it’s just advertising, or virtue signaling.
Chick Fil-A rose to the occasion, and behaved generously and decently and did it without fanfare and nothing they have said or done since seeks to capitalize on it.
While I disagree with the Founder’s stance, I cannot help but admire what the company did.
If you accept for a second that all fast food is shit, their chicken is quite good.
And not in that “I still like Big Macs even though the meat is disgusting and the sandwiches are poorly made more often than not, but it hits the spot in its own way” good. I mean it’s good in the way that it is pretty tasty, like 7.5/10, whereas a good Peruvian chicken place would be closer to 9/10.
Explain this sentiment, please. They are closed on Sunday equals treating your employees well?
I work in a store owned by Orthodox Jews. We close two hours before sundown on Friday, are closed Saturday (during the winter holidays, we are open Saturday nights) and are open on Sundays. Is this not treating us well?
I don’t eat at Chick-Fil-A because I’m a vegetarian with liberal views. Their stance on gays and women’s issues turns my stomach.
ETA: The store is open on Christmas. I cannot tell you how many people check out items and then tell me “You shouldn’t have to work on Christmas Day.” Uh, it’s strictly optional and I get double pay and usually a free meal.
Eating at Chick-Fil-A is quite simply a way to let everyone know that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior- there is nothing about the quality of the food that otherwise warrants twenty cars in the drive thru, all day, every day.
If in doubt, go by a Chick-Fil-A after a Muslim terrorist incident or any ‘attack’ on Christianity, real or perceived- the lines will be twice as long.
Sheesh. I’m pretty sure he means that giving employees a day of the week that they can count on not working, even with changes in shifts and so on, is a good idea. Like I used to go to some hardware stores that were open on the weekends but never on Mondays, which is IMHO a nice thing for employees even though Monday isn’t a day typically reserved for any religious observances.
Also haven’t lived in the U.S. for a while (> 15 years) and I don’t remember ever going to one before we moved.
When we visit the U.S. we usually spend a few hours in an honest-to-goodness shopping mall. The one near my in-laws has only one fast-food restaurant in the mall itself, everything else requires a short drive. So we end up at Chick-Fil-A for a snack. For me I’m happy with a milkshake and waffle fries, two things I won’t find locally. I like their peach milkshake, but I won’t go out of my way to get one. And if we don’t go to that one I won’t go to a Chick-Fil-A.
In comparison, I will hunt down a Wendy’s for a Frosty and a Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Depending on how long I’m in the U.S., i might even do it twice.
I quit eating there a while back, after their founder took a public anti-gay marriage stance. They have since softened that stance a bit, and I do occasionally stop there for a sandwich, but it’s usually too long a line for me. I do think they are the best chicken sandwich and nuggets in the business, hands-down. I will also agree with other folks here that have said that the staff is almost unfailingly polite, helpful and look like they have just been scrubbed clean.
I find the virtue-signalling a little annoying, personally.
I think it’s mostly been covered here. Being above average in most respects and add a few distinctive touches can bring you great brand loyalty. Yes, and the cow ad campaign is cute. Living in Houston, I couldn’t believe how Chik-Fil-A had almost exclusively 3D billboards. So they aren’t shirking on that end either.
What sort of store? Many retail establishments, including restaurants, close at least one day a week. However, it’s definitely not the norm among fast-food restaurants.
Religious aspects aside, is brand loyalty really a thing with fast food? I don’t know anyone who say, eats at only McDonalds, never Burger King or Wendy’s, unless they just don’t like the taste of the others?
And yes, two identical chicken places, one rude, one polite, most will go with polite every time, but Chick-Fil-A wait times are usually double or triple or more than other places- I don’t think the average fast food diner is willing to wait an extra long time just to get a smiling face, please and thank you? Are you willing to wait in a long line just because you like a billboard or ad campaign?
I refuse to, but I go with others who do, and just last week sat in a drive thru @30 minutes. Yes, the line moved VERY fast, but literally 20 deep (cars lined up on the main road, at nine at night on a weekday!) is going to be 30 minutes no matter how efficient you are.
I do think it an interesting question how long extra the average person is willing to wait in a line for a similar product, just for better customer service? If you can get my near identical item to me in five minutes with no smile, or thirty minutes with a smile, I’ll take the five every time.