So after seeing the ridiculous crowds at the opening a new Chick Fil A near my workplace, and the huge daily lunch lines nearly a year later, and after reading this thread, it’s pretty clear to me that Chick Fil A is pretty popular.
What I don’t get is WHY? I mean, there’s nothing bad about Chick Fil A, but there’s not anything particularly outstanding either. And I’ve eaten pretty much everything on their menu at one time or another over the past couple of decades.
Maybe someone can shed some light on it for me… are more people enamored with fried chicken sandwiches than I’d have ever thought? Is it some other item on the menu (fries or something?) that I am missing?
Apparently, the waffle fries are a big thing, as reported in the other thread in CS which ranks them as #1 in best fast food items.
I think part of it is the fact that they’re still new in your area, so they have some of that post-grand-opening afterglow still going. Krispy Kremes were similar when they first opened here before every decided to get sick of them, I guess.
That said, I do think they put out a great product. They are my favorite fried chicken sandwich, and a lot of people seem to really like them. I know there’s plenty of folks who think they’re ho-hum. There’s apparently enough that think they’re great that it doesn’t matter. Even in areas where they are well-established for decades, they still seem to be doing well. It’s a nice change of place from the millions of burger places to choose from, and nice to see someone concentrating on one particular type of product and doing it so well.
It’s a new location, but Chick-Fil-A have been in Texas (and Dallas) for at least a couple of decades now. So I can’t imagine there’s any novelty involved.
Well, then it’s all people like me who like chicken sandwiches. But, really, they stand out in the market. You want a sub? Bunch of places to choose from. Hamburger? Lots of options. Chicken sandwich? Sure, the burger places have chicken sandwiches, but there’s only one chain where it’s their flagship/identity. And people do like chicken sandwiches. There is room for competition in the marketplace, I would think, but perhaps Chick Fil A is such an entrenched brand, nobody wants to risk to take it on.
I mean, I guess there’s the fried chicken places, but they somehow don’t make a good chicken sandwich, sadly.
Beyond the “new opening” novelty, I will give them (at least my local one) credit for having a consistently pleasant, professional and competent staff. I don’t know what they put in the break room water that McDonald’s, etc is missing but each time I come in someone is smiling, politely takes my order and brings me my food quickly.
I’m vegetarian, so uninterested; but even I remember from many 1000s of miles away there was some kind of fuss about them a few years back that garnered them a lot of name recognition.
There’s nothing like a splendid row to drive up sales.
I know! between this thread, and the “top 50 fast food items” thread, there seem to be a lot of people that love CFA.
Has everyone already forgot the controversy? Aren’t we all supposed to be boycotting them? I know I’m never going to eat there, waffle fries or not, because of their politics. (Same with shopping at Hobby Lobby.)
I guess the thinking is right - people forget. If you can weather the storm of controversy, people will come back. For some, good food outweighs good behavior. Enjoy your sandwiches, hope they’re not too bitter.
When I’m eating fast food, I usually get a chicken sandwich. And I have to say, in my opinion there’s really not that much variation between them. If I find one better than another, it’s usually because of the toppings, and Chick-Fil-A doesn’t do toppings.
There’s a particular flavor to their chicken; if you look online for copycat recipes, many of them include marinating the meat in pickle juice. Also, they serve the sandwiches with pickles, which most other fast-food chicken sandwiches don’t do (unless they’re trying to provide something similar to a Chick-fil-a flavor).
I don’t like the taste of pickles, and so, I’ve never really liked how Chick-fil-a chicken tastes.
Whenever I stop at our mall’s food court, I notice a disproportionate number of people eating Chick-Fil-A. It’s been around here forever so the novelty factor is out, in my location. Could be that chicken is just the new big favorite, over beef.
My local CFA gives a discount to active-duty military - I forget how much, but I think it’s pretty hefty. There’s always a lot of people off the nearby naval base in the joint when I visit.
And - despite the despicable politics - I like the place. Tasty sandwiches and a lot of nice, small touches. Worst thing about it is how crowded it is.
I had never had one until about a year ago, when I had two of their main-feature chicken sandwiches in about a month’s time.
It was…good.
I’ve had better(or at least equal) at Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and many other places. Many. Heck, Wendy’s had a really hot spicy chicken sandwich about a year ago that was way, way better. I’ve had a lot worse, too, from many places.
It’s right in the middle/average for a chicken sandwich.
I did not, however, have the fries. Heard they are good, I guess?
But, really, they stand out in the market. You want a sub? Bunch of places to choose from. Hamburger? Lots of options. Chicken sandwich? Sure, the burger places have chicken sandwiches, but there’s only one chain where it’s their flagship/identity. And people do like chicken sandwiches. There is room for competition in the marketplace, I would think, but perhaps Chick Fil A is such an entrenched brand, nobody wants to risk to take it on.