# What is the Chick Fil A attraction? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234 "2017-03-02T20:43:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/61 "2017-03-03T14:15:13Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I’ve never really taken any mainstream/fast food thing seriously when they say it has habanero or “ghost pepper” spice in it. Even your “garden variety” habanero is so hot that if they included any significant amount of it in their food it’d be inedible to a huge swath of the population. I usually interpret something like a Wendy’s “Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich” as “we show the sandwich a picture of a ghost pepper before we serve it to you.” The Wendy’s sandwich actually did have a bit of heat to it, but I (and my brother and cousin) felt it was more from the jalapenos than any sort of ghost pepper. If you’re not used to heat at all, it’s got a good kick to it. If you are used to heat, no, it’s not really that hot, but it is hotter than most chain restaurants version of spicy. Nothing like a habanero, much less a ghost pepper in terms of heat. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/62 "2017-03-03T14:18:03Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I’ve never really taken any mainstream/fast food thing seriously when they say it has habanero or “ghost pepper” spice in it. Even your “garden variety” habanero is so hot that if they included any significant amount of it in their food it’d be inedible to a huge swath of the population. I usually interpret something like a Wendy’s “Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich” as “we show the sandwich a picture of a ghost pepper before we serve it to you.” Offer not valid in Nashville, TN for certain values of “mainstream.” We’ve got a couple local chains whose chicken will burn a hole in your stomach lining if you can get it down that far. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/63 "2017-03-03T14:28:12Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Offer not valid in Nashville, TN for certain values of “mainstream.” We’ve got a couple local chains whose chicken will burn a hole in your stomach lining if you can get it down that far. It’s not a chain, but I’ve been down to Prince’s for Nashville’s hot chicken, and I ordered the xtra hot (they wouldn’t let me order the xxxtra hot—actually, I did order the xxxtra hot, but the woman behind the counter said I don’t want that, and I insisted I did, and I think it ended with me just backing down and getting the xtra hot. I’m actually unclear whether I got the xtra hot or the xxxtra hot), and, Christ on a cracker, that was some deliciously spicy chicken. They did not mess around. If that’s indicative of spice levels at local chains, I am thoroughly impressed. Even the suicide wings at various chicken places in Buffalo did not attain the heat levels of Prince’s xtra hot. There’s nothing hotter than a cayenne on it, but there’s just so much of it that it feels like habanero or higher in terms of heat. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/64 "2017-03-03T14:48:49Z")
I’ve only gone to CFA once, just to educate an inquiring mind. I though it was nice that they used leafy lettuce on the sandwich, instead of iceberg shit. And the bun was better than average, less reminiscent of American White Bread. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/65 "2017-03-03T14:57:04Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The only time I’ve eaten one of their sandwiches was in an airport. I needed lunch, saw that there was a location of this chain there and decided to try it. (And then I once flew through Philadelphia and went looking for a cheesesteak restaurant in the airport. I asked a greeter and she was unable to suggest one. I think every airport should endeavor to make sure that the local specialty is available at the airport.) The Chick-fil-A locations at Harstfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport are to be avoided like the plague. Worst Chick-fil-A locations known to mankind. Especially the one in Terminal A. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/66 "2017-03-03T15:01:21Z")
It’s been years but I think I ate Chick-fil-A in the Cincinnati airport. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/67 "2017-03-03T15:02:02Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > And the servers are unfailingly pleasant and polite for two reasons; 1) because they are often hired through local church youth groups and know they’ll embarrass their church home if they aren’t up to snuff, and 2) because there are very high corporate standards and corporate “secret shoppers” that come through regularly and unannounced and if the staff is not performing to standard, the franchise-runner gets fined, and if they don’t bring things up to snuff fast enough they can even lose their franchise. Employees get fired quick if they don’t keep their noses clean. Coldstone Creamery has a similar standard, and their employees also tend to be very well vetted and not given any slack. The servers are unfailingly polite because they hire generally polite people to start with, and then hold them to that standard. And that’s a GOOD thing, not the bad thing you imply. Strong corporate quality assurance checks were what made Carl’s Jr. an excellent chain in the 70s and 80s, in the pre-franchise days; my ex-wife ran a CJ’s and the QA score was all important; it kept everyone on their toes, doing the right thing. Contrast that to the scene in most McDonald’s restaurants, where you see employees (especially young ones) standing around chit-chatting and doing nothing useful, despite unclean, unstocked dining rooms, orders ready to be served, and people wanting to have their orders taken. :rolleyes: And I have some familiarity with who gets hired because I taught at the local high school, and, thus, know the personalities of the ones who get hire at the local fast food joints. I never saw one of my lazy, attitude-laden students working at the Chick-fil-A. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/68 "2017-03-03T15:27:45Z")
Yeah, I can’t see “They hire polite, hardworking people and then expect them to remain polite and hardworking” as all that bad of a thing. Professionalism and competence is, after all, what they’re paying them for. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/69 "2017-03-03T16:40:54Z")
I agree that it’s a positive - I’ve never worked for a franchise but I did work for cold stone and they actually have required management seminars and offer hiring instructions and they actually seriously follow up with their standards. I was thrilled, but the owners who were hoping to have a hands-off approach got burned a couple of times and were seriously grumpy that corporate cared so much. Our chik fil a in town got busted to another franchise owner after the first one didn’t keep the place up, and it’s way more popular now that it’s clean and well-run. I don’t like the corporation but they have very solid business sense and they run a tight ship. Very controlling, very customer focused, very Disney. Very good policy for them. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/70 "2017-03-03T16:57:40Z")
I don’t generally eat beef or pork, and CA’s chicken offerings taste better to me than those of other fast food places. CA employees are friendly, polite, and competent. This is absolutely not true at other local fast food places, where I often leave angry. The number one determining factor for me is competence. In 15 years, the local CA has never once screwed up my order. McD’s and Wendy’s screw it up _every single time_; it’s like a competition to see if I can manage to catch their latest screw up before leaving. The employees may be awful at their stated job, but they are brilliant at finding ways to get things wrong. The local CA makes an effort to correct problems (such as drive-through lane traffic backing up into the road). At other local fast food places, problems are forever. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/71 "2017-03-03T17:05:59Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s not a chain, but I’ve been down to Prince’s for Nashville’s hot chicken, and I ordered the xtra hot (they wouldn’t let me order the xxxtra hot—actually, I did order the xxxtra hot, but the woman behind the counter said I don’t want that, and I insisted I did, and I think it ended with me just backing down and getting the xtra hot. I’m actually unclear whether I got the xtra hot or the xxxtra hot), and, Christ on a cracker, that was some deliciously spicy chicken. They did not mess around. If that’s indicative of spice levels at local chains, I am thoroughly impressed. Even the suicide wings at various chicken places in Buffalo did not attain the heat levels of Prince’s xtra hot. There’s nothing hotter than a cayenne on it, but there’s just so much of it that it feels like habanero or higher in terms of heat. Prince’s is what I had in mind, since they’re (arguably) the original here and have opened a second location which in my mind qualifies them as a “local chain.” There are a couple of others in the area, like Hattie B’s, and locals like to argue about which are the best. For the uninitiated, Nashville hot chicken is unlike Buffalo wings in that it’s not covered in sauce, it’s just covered (and I mean covered) in spice, primarily cayenne. Prince’s generally will not sell xxxtra-hot to non-regulars because most people can’t eat it (and that includes me. I only even get the xtra hot if I’m not very hungry, because more than one piece will mess me up the rest of the day). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/72 "2017-03-03T17:11:21Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick-fil-A_same-sex_marriage_controversy)? Aren’t we all s[upposed to be boycotting them](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=659041)? 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. I’ve never been to one and never will. When I’m with a group and someone suggests CFA, I explain my point of view and suggest an alternative. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/73 "2017-03-03T17:47:32Z")
nvm ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/74 "2017-03-03T17:49:05Z")
Part of it may be the novelty (there are none near us), but my kids prefer Chick-Fil-A to any other fast food restaurant, at least partly because they are not fans of fast food hamburgers. We all like their chicken nuggets, because the meat is not ground and the breading is light. The kids like being able to pick their own sauce. One kid is a particularly picky eater so when we find a restaurant we all like we stick with it. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/75 "2017-03-03T18:28:47Z")
I don’t care for their politics and avoid them on that basis alone but on a few occasions it was unavoidable. I was impressed with them, relative to other fast food options. The restaurants I’ve been in were clean, well staffed, and the workers were incredibly polite and friendly. I can almost never say all of that about McDonalds, Wendy’s, and KFC/Popeyes/Churches, etc. chicken restaurants. The chicken sandwiches ARE delicious and superior in my opinion to the competition. And the waffle fries… the perfect ketchup delivery device!!! Like I said, I don’t eat there if I can absolutely avoid it but when I have… I get the hype, it was a very satisfying experience each time (for fast food). ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/76 "2017-03-03T19:12:42Z")
I don’t like their politics, either, but there’s a new one being built in my city so we’ll probably try them when we can get near the place. It’s going to be a traffic nightmare, though. It’s RIGHT on the main highway, to the point that the drive-thru line will spill out and block highway traffic. I have to give them credit, though. There’s a historic flagpole on their property and they asked the city to move it months ago. They could’ve just ripped it down. It’s not a city flagpole, though, it’s under control of the historical society who wants to put it somewhere else, but needs to store it until a location is secured. They’re having trouble finding someplace to store a gigantic 35-foot flagpole\* so it’s still on CFA’s property. Pretty cool of them. \*I think the city should kick in some money to mitigate some of the ridiculous crap they’ve done. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/77 "2017-03-03T20:51:56Z")
I do not know this to be true, but when one looks at where Chick-fil-A sites their restaurants, one has to believe they control costs a bit by taking property illy suited to be a fast food restaurant with drive thru. It’s my one and only complaint about the chain. Getting in and out of them is often a real pain. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/78 "2017-03-03T20:53:41Z")
I routinely get the kid’s 6-pack nuggets. I substitute fruit cup for fries and trade in my toy for ice cream, so I have fruit and ice cream for dessert. StG ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/79 "2017-03-03T20:55:50Z")
> [@bump](#): > > 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](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=820546), 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? There are many reasons, of course, but Chick-Fil-A restaurants have a well deserved reputation for making a “consistently” delicious chicken sandwich. The shakes are good (yay peach), the waffle fries are good, the help is pleasant, but it’s the consistently good chicken sandwiches that bring the people back time, and time, again. Which explains the long lines. People won’t wait in long lines for inconsistent, or mediocre, food. Especially when there are so many other options available. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234/80 "2017-03-03T21:29:08Z")
I’ve heard that besides making the effort to be less homophobic, they’ve additionally knocked off the “Have a blessed day!” bullshit. Anybody know if that’s true? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-chick-fil-a-attraction/781234.md?page=5)