Posted on 06/12/2017 11:31:54 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
People love Chick-fil-A, the poultry-centric fast-food chain whose corporate purpose is to “glorify God,” and whose strict Sunday closure means that every employee gets at least one day of rest.
People love the carnival-like waffle fries, the neonatal ward-like hospitality, the cleanliness on par with a Silicon Valley chip manufacturer, the fresh-squeezed lemonade spiked with soft-serve ice cream, the aromatic peach shakes, the admirably bare-bones fried-chicken sandwich, the viral fan song set to the tune of the Beatles’s “Yesterday,” and the famous Polynesian sauce, an agrodolce condiment that looks like what would happen if a stop sign were melted down in a magical volcano made of pineapple, ginger, and corn syrup.
People don’t love Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta-based, family-owned chain that’s heavily rooted in the South but that’s expanding aggressively into new markets like New York and Washington, fueling long lines and, occasionally, opposition. Millions of dollars of the chain’s past profits funded groups that opposed same-sex marriage during an era when millions of Americans were fighting for their civil rights; smaller donations went to a group that practiced conversion therapy, a practice that stems from the discredited belief that homosexuality is a mental illness.
About a year before the Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act in June 2013, chief executive Dan Cathy said that “we’re inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.” Following an uproar over those comments, Chick-fil-A pledged, on Facebook, to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena, and “to treat everyone “with honor, dignity and respect,” regardless of sexual orientation.
This is all to say, reckoning with Chick-fil-A is complicated. There’s the social question, which is how a Biblically grounded institution — whose $8 billion in sales dwarf KFC’s domestic operations — will fare as it expands outside of regions where it’s perceived as a beloved community cornerstone, rather than a venue whose mere presence evokes the type of anger normally directed at unqualified politicians.
And there’s the culinary question, which is whether you should brave the (fast-moving) lines at the home of the “original” pressure-fried chicken sandwich, or whether you should patronize more ambitious (and progressive) poultry-purveying peers like Fuku (only in New York) or Shake Shack.
I used to visit the Chick-fil-A during my D.C. college days, circa 2000, as a cheap and reasonably tasty source of protein after a workout. Nearly two decades later, in my capacity as a restaurant critic, I’m here to report that the increasingly ubiquitous chain serves a pretty good fast-food breakfast, a pretty great frozen coffee, and a pretty average chicken sandwich.
I’m also here to report that it’s the only top 10 quick-service restaurant that doesn’t mention sexual orientation in its online equal opportunity statement, and that it holds a zero rating on LGBT benefits and worker protections from a prominent advocacy group. McDonald’s scored 100. (When I asked Chick-fil-A about this, a rep responded with a general statement reaffirming its commitment to equal opportunity and said that it’s up to local franchisees to determine benefits.)
New York City's first standalone location of Chick-fil-A opened nearly two years ago to small protests and heavy lines. The chain plans on opening about a dozen restaurants across the five boroughs in the next three years, and it’s hard to blame it; the three locations I visited for this review continue to attract the type of fervent lunchtime crowds one might’ve expected during the early days at Momofuku Noodle Bar.
Chick-fil-A’s draw is simplicity: It’s all about the chicken. There are no burgers, hot dogs, tacos, cakes, hand pies, or lunchtime burritos — unless you count the 1990s-style wrap sandwich. There isn’t any beef, and the only pork is relegated to a bit of breakfast sausage or bacon.
That simplicity extends to the chicken sandwich, which is largely free from adulterants. The larger fast-food industry, which has no problem selling Froot Loop shakes and other things that will turn our livers into foie gras, generally abides by the false assumption that America wants a crummy house salad — watery lettuce, out-of-season tomatoes, and a chokehold of mayo — on its chicken sandwiches. Chick-fil-A knows better: The classic sandwich is nothing more than chicken, pickles (always on the bottom, so your tongue is instantly zapped with acidity), a white bun that gets out of the way of the chicken, butter, sugar, and enough salt — 1,350 milligrams — to turn your duodenum into charcuterie.
Structurally, it’s tempting to call it the platonic ideal of the chicken sandwich. It doesn’t exist to highlight infinite trendy toppings or revel in assembly-line customization, a la Chipotle. It exists to show off chicken. Until you start eating it. And you realize it’s not showing off much at all.
The only chicken at Chick-fil-A is boneless, skinless breast meat. While some parts of the culinary world explore how to extract more nose-to-tail goodness from poultry, or at least find a way to make sure your white meat doesn’t taste like seitan, the country’s most prominent chicken chain is focusing on the part of the chicken that bores, and that, in the hands of the corporate chefs here, really doesn’t taste like a whole lot.
To be fair, not a lot of folks turn to fast-food chicken expecting an epicurean inquiry into poultry funk or arcane breeding. People eat fast-food chicken for salt, fat, and perhaps most importantly, crunch. Problem is, Chick-fil-A’s chicken has too much salt, not enough fat, and very little crunch. The chief flavors of the sandwich are industrial neon pickle, sugar, and peanut oil.
If we lived in a post-apocalyptic world where Chick-fil-A was the only restaurant chain and all the remaining medical centers still had world-class dialysis machines, maybe this would suffice. But walk into any Shake Shack and your chicken sandwich will shatter with eons more crunch. It’s enough to make you want to forgive the mayo. Swing by a Fuku, whose lean butter- and pickle-topped sandwich is heavily influenced by Chick-fil-A, and you’ll experience an incendiary thigh meat with tons more flavor and texture. Heck, even drop by McDonald’s, order the buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich, hold the tomato, and you’ll still have a chicken sandwich with more texture and less sodium shock. The state of fast-food chicken sandwiches is strong, and The Chick just isn’t at the top of the list anymore.
Chick-fil-A, alas, doesn’t have much to worry about financially; it’s currently America’s favorite fast-food restaurant, according to one consumer satisfaction index. Sales actually soared the year Cathy made his controversial remarks. That means we can all expect more mayo-free chicken sandwiches across our fruited plain. So when you find yourself at Chick-fil-A, by choice or by chance, here’s a rundown of what’s great, what’s good, and what other prominent chains do better.
Chick-n-Minis (aka mini chicken sandwiches, breakfast only): These nuggets stuffed into mini yeast rolls aren’t a pretty dish; the craggy bits of breaded chicken are halfway falling out of the undersized rolls, some of which are nearly broken by the time you pick them up. If you saw these at a hot buffet you’d hop into your car and find another hot buffet. So be it; the rolls, brushed with honey butter, are chain’s best foil for its salt-lick chicken. This is a dish that doesn’t try to be something better than it is; it basks in the baseness of its own junk-food turpitude. Rating: 9/10. Calories: 350. Fat: 14g. Sodium: 880mg.
Each to his own. It takes all kind to make the jukebox play.
McDonalds uses chicken in their chicken sandwich?
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It depends on how many get run over by cars. But you can probably count on a good content of turkey. Turkey buzzards that is.
That is the one O get when I go there.
All I know for sure is ours.
I’m one of those that doesn’t really like Chik-Fil-A. Nothing personal, just don’t care for their coating on the fried chicken. And my wife quit CFA when they quit serving slaw.
If I’m getting fast food boneless chicken, I will go down the road to Zaxby’s. CFA’s grilled sammie is OK, but Zaxby’s Cajun Club is better. I really prefer chicken on the bone, so I prefer Popeyes of KFC to any of the boneless brands.
That said, the local CFA is always crowded, with drive-thru line around the block. You can walk right in to any of the other fast food joints in the same area.
That’s ok. I will ask the next time I’m out at breakfast
Always good to know a possible off menu delight
So don’t eat their. Enough of us will that loss of your business won’t matter. I’ve met Dan Kathy. he beleives homsexulaity is oimmorl but does not allow discrimination in hiring or service, even to dolts ike you.
Mrs. Mountain loves the peach shake. (She's a peach, so there might be a natural affinity ...) It's a bit too fruity for my taste.
The hand-wringing homo who wrote this garbage has convinced me to go out of my way home from work and try Chic-Fil-A in Troy, Michigan.
A few years ago, the former Governess, Jennie Grandstand and her policies drove me and uncounted others away from our homes in Michigan. One of the few high points of moving to the east coast is Chick-Fil-A. I heard that a few are popping up in Michigan. Worth the trip to Troy.
Off topic. 18 years ago, we bought a house in Mt. Clemens for $155,000. We got it about $50K below market because if needed work. We did the work, Jennie destroyed the economy well before the rest of the nation and I lost my job. We sold the house for $136,000. That house sold again last week for $155,000, the 1999 price. Sounds like we still have a long way to go
No problem, I'll have yours.
Yum!
The long lines speak volumes as to why the author is confused: The American people reject LBGTQIA... unequivocally.
It is hidden somewhat on the indoor menu. Lower right small letters. It’s a good breakfast and the C-FA courtesy and cleanliness comes with it. I’m in NC. Ours actually turns off the DT speaker during peak hours and people are taking your order via wi-Fi in the lane. Lines move very fast.
I’d never set foot in a CFA before the buycott. Now my family goes all the time.
I wouldn’t say the CFAs draw traffic away from nearby establishments, per se, but when the cars physically can’t fit into the parking lots or drive-throughs, they go elsewhere. Or keep circling... which could argue that they then draw business to their neighbors.
Yes, they do move fast. That’s why we have the crew out there with the iPads.
Unfortunately, if you come up to Washington state, you won’t see the gravy. For some reason, the operators here decided not to carry gravy. They thought people here in the PNW wouldn’t like it. I believe that they are mistaken.
I also believe we have the best biscuits of any fast food chain.
I was at a Holiday Inn Express and they had gravy. In Everett!
Boy was I smart that day.
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