A Chick-Fil-A opened just a few weeks ago right near me. I’ve never been to Chick-Fil-A before, not because I disagree with their politics, which I do, but because somehow whenever I found myself near one my entire life, it just happened to be Sunday. That was pretty weird, really.
Anyways, I figured now that there’s one that’s convenient, I’ll check it out.
I had expectations, and I was disappointed.
I mean, it was fine; I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it, either. I would compare it favorably to McDonald’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich, but not by much, and there’s a McDonald’s down the road that has the Crispy Chicken Sandwich combo meal for only $6.29, regular price every day. It’s only that one location. Every other McDonald’s around here sells it for at least $8.XX. The Chick-Fil-A today was $9-something.
Having had both sandwiches now, I have to handily give the win to Popeye’s, and frankly I would not even put Chick-Fil-A in my top 3. I would rank them Popeye’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King, then probably KFC, then Chick-Fil-A, then McDonald’s.
Although the chicken in the BK chicken sandwich is sometimes so large it’s comically unwieldy.
Agreed, the Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich is far better, and you usually don’t have to wait in that ridiculous line like there is at Chik-Fil-A. I don’t see the draw, although I did like the Peach Shake when they had it and did go there for that at my GFs request.
I’ve never had Popeye’s chicken sandwich, but I’d probably put Wendy’s ahead of Chick-Fil-A. Especially since it’s like half the price.
There’s a place around here now called Caine’s, that’s just chicken fingers. They’re like $9 for three fingers and a side of bread. I mean, they’re pretty good, as chicken fingers go, but there’s only so good a chicken finger can get.
I don’t think the CFA is meant to be crispy. So if that’s what you’re looking for, I can understand the disappointment.
People love CFA for it’s pickle-ly brine and over all flavor profile.
It’s not for everyone but I love it. But that said, I don’t always go for CFA. When I’m in the mood for spicy and crispy I’ll go to Popeyes or Wendy’s.
Yeah, honestly didn’t catch any of that at all. There were pickles on it, but I wasn’t tasting it throughout the meat. The meat itself was fairly bland IMO. Maybe that’s just me.
I admit I may have one of the world’s most unsophisticated palates alive, and I’m willing to give it another shot sometime, but it just didn’t leave a great first impression. It felt like it was missing something.
Huh. I’m from Michigan and don’t ever crow about coney dogs. I mean, I do enjoy them, but it’s not that big a deal.
I found In N’ Out in California to much, much, much more disappointing than Chick-Fil-A. I won’t launch a hijack here, but In N’ Out isn’t even better than Wendy’s, a nationwide big chain.
It’s a good sandwich for the price point, but eating one won’t exactly change your religion. I feel the same way about Popeye’s delicious spicy chicken sandwhich. What Chick-Fil-A has going for them is that the food tastes good, it’s not expensive, their staff is polite, they get your order right, and their restaurants are clean. I can’t say those things about every Wendy’s or McDonald’s I’ve been to but I can say it about every Chick-Fil-A.
I used to be a Wendy’s man when it came to chicken sandwiches, especially their spicy chicken sandwich, but around here the quality is seriously hit or miss. But the prices of fast food chicken sandwiches all seem fairly similar around here.
Wendy’s Chicken Sandwich: $5.39
Burger King American Original Chicken Sandwich: $5.69
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich: $4.59
Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich: $4.99
It’s a fast food chicken sandwich, so there’s only so good it can be. I mean, it’s fine, but definitely not worth the lines. Combined with their views, I haven’t been all that tempted to go in a while.
That said, I used to get their chicken biscuits for breakfast somewhat regularly. Again, nothing to go out of your way or wait in a long line for but pretty good for a fast food place, especially if you aren’t the egg sandwich type.
I thought the food was fine, liked the waffle fries, but the main draw was that I’d eat in for lunch and the staff was always pleasant and attentive and the stores were clean. The sandwiches were good but I don’t really go crazy for anyone’s chicken sandwich – it’s just food.
Burger King had a new chicken sandwich in the past ~year that they discontinued that was damn good. Probably would have gone BK >= Popeyes > Wendys > Chick Fil A > McDonalds. But agreed with the majority here that doesn’t think CFA is all that good compared to other fast food chicken sandwiches.
I’m curious whether the reputed pickle brine is actually a thing, or just an internet speculation that’s been repeated so often, it’s accepted as true. I suspect it’s not true, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to buy their stuff yet to check it out.
I’ve been a CFA fan for several years, but no more – their prices seemed to have jumped about 15%, while their chicken burger has shrunk to about 3/4ths its size. Their fries are outstanding, though.
I’m also impressed with their customer service, especially the drive through. They can move a lot of vehicles in a short time.
IMHO - part of the hype about CFA is from the era where you COULDN’T get a decent chicken sandwich anywhere else. Admittedly, that’s 1-2 decades ago now, but in the before-times, most places didn’t carry one at all, or if they did, it was some form of processed chicken meat patty that tasted as good as it sounds.
Especially in the last decade or so, everyone and their brother has released a decent fast food chicken sandwich, and now the appeal is the polite and clean options, as mentioned upthread. It’s still good but it is also still just fast food chicken.
I think this is it. I’ve never been in a Chick-Fil-A that wasn’t clean and well-maintained. The lines are long but they move fast, the staff are unfailingly polite and quick to accommodate any (reasonable) request. A chicken sandwich is a chicken sandwich, but at least at Chick-Fil-A I know I’m going to have a pleasant experience.
I would order it without pickles anyway, so that’s going to change things I guess