Chick-Fil-A invites customers to visit for National Sandwich Day (on a Sunday)

[bcla]

Could be - another poster said they are independently owned - however I'd think something like that would have to be ok'd with corporate.

They're not specifically owned. They have some rather tight franchise rules. The startup costs are actually quite low, but my understanding is that the "operators" as they're called have very little control compared to other franchise restaurants. However, each restaurant is more or less owned by the corporation (they pay most of the startup costs) and corporate makes considerably more profit than the "operator" in the form of leases.

https://www.businessinsider.com/what-it-costs-to-open-a-chick-fil-a-2016-1

 

[bcla]

It's not a comment aimed at you just bouncing on your comment but people are able to disassosiate themselves from things. I do this on various other things from shows, to retail, to food, to organizations, etc. Not to mention that in this particular case people don't associate Chick-fil-A the brand the same as others clearly do when it comes to exactly what is being spoken about. In other words just because I go into Chick-fil-A doesn't mean I think the employees who work there, the store manager, or anyone else in the chain of command shares the viewpoints of the founder. They might who knows..I just don't think they do by virtue of working there.

I personally don't care about much of that, although I can't take the music that I've heard at a few of the locations. I just don't see the value, and I don't get why they serve beverages in styrofoam cups. I can get a decent complete fast food meal much cheaper elsewhere.

 

[RamblingMad]

I actually see no problems with that viewpoint; it's a "you do you" kind of situation.

I'm not sure that I've seen it here on the DIS (it's quite possible though over all the threads on this and other places people boycott or have very strong feelings for) but the issue I usually have is when people associate other people patronizing an establishment as a verification that they accept what xyz has said/done/whatever.

It's not a comment aimed at you just bouncing on your comment but people are able to disassosiate themselves from things. I do this on various other things from shows, to retail, to food, to organizations, etc. Not to mention that in this particular case people don't associate Chick-fil-A the brand the same as others clearly do when it comes to exactly what is being spoken about. In other words just because I go into Chick-fil-A doesn't mean I think the employees who work there, the store manager, or anyone else in the chain of command shares the viewpoints of the founder. They might who knows..I just don't think they do by virtue of working there.

It’s far easier to tell folks to eat chicken sandwiches at Popeyes than try to convince them to boycott CFA. The fact that Popeyes chicken sandwiches are so much better helps.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I personally don't care about much of that, although I can't take the music that I've heard at a few of the locations. I just don't see the value, and I don't get why they serve beverages in styrofoam cups. I can get a decent complete fast food meal much cheaper elsewhere.

Not that I don't respect your opinion but I'm not entirely certain how it relates to mine

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It’s far easier to tell folks to eat chicken sandwiches at Popeyes than try to convince them to boycott CFA. The fact that Popeyes chicken sandwiches are so much better helps.

I haven't had Popeye's chicken sandwich yet so unfortunately I can't comment on the taste.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

It’s far easier to tell folks to eat chicken sandwiches at Popeyes than try to convince them to boycott CFA. The fact that Popeyes chicken sandwiches are so much better helps.

It's easiest to let people choose a restaurant for themself, rather than pushing an opinion that has nothing to do with the food on others. Odds are most people don't care what any individual thinks about anything.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Could be - another poster said they are independently owned - however I'd think something like that would have to be ok'd with corporate.

They're not really independently owned. They're independently operated. And in fact, Chick Fil A calls them operators. It's more like buying a job running a Chick Fil A location.
Most are only allowed one. You're required to be there and run the place. You can't be an absentee owner. . And you don't really own anything. You're not building any equity in your franchise at all. When you're ready to retire, you don't have a business to sell. Everything is leased and ownership retained by the company. They tell you where you're going. You don't get to pick and say, hey, I want to open my Chick Fil A here. It doesn't work that way. Oh and getting one is not quite as hard as winning the lottery. But it feels like it is. All in all though, for relatively very little investment, you get to run a restaurant and realistically can make about 100k a year on average. IMO it's a great deal considering a start up fee that is pretty much couch cushion change compared to other franchise fees in the business. But if you're looking to build your own business empire, it's definitely not for you.

 

[bcla]

Not that I don't respect your opinion but I'm not entirely certain how it relates to mine

It was that the viewpoints of the owners don't particularly matter to me any more. I'm just kind of overwhelmed by what they serve and how much it costs.

 

[Wendy31]

Never been to Chik fil A myself, but according to another poster they put bible verses on their cups, and say "See you in church". Not that horrible, but it's still pushing their religion.

I know other people have already responded, but, since you were quoting me & replying to my question to your initial post regarding Chik-Fil-A pushing religion, I'll chime in & say that I've been to numerous Chik-Fil-A restaurants over the years in different states & I've never seen a Bible verse on any of their cups & no one has ever said to me, "See you in church."

I do wish they'd discontinue their use of Styrofoam, but you can't beat their consistent quality & high level of customer service. I also appreciate their commitment to their different communities - for example, donating sandwiches & drinks to various organizations & workers during times of need like hurricane recovery efforts.

Isn't there a clothes store that puts a Bible verse reference on their shopping bags?

 

[JPPT1974]

Chick Fil A is very sweet people. Very kind and wished all restaurants big and small would treat you like queens and kings there! Had a nephew that used to work there.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am new to Chick Fil A as, until recently, there weren't any in my area. My kids, though, are seemingly obsessed with it as they've had it elsewhere, love it, and will travel quite a distance to get it..

I was interested to see what the big deal was about it, having heard from them and read about it here.

Like some others here, I was also underwhelmed with the food itself, but generally impressed with the cleanliness and customer service. We've been enough now that we've experienced some order screw ups (that cost me), and had no great rectifications, sort of just a "sorry" at the drive thru , but I chalk that up to it being a new presence in our area and people there are no doubt learning, lol. (Perhaps in areas where there's a big presence, everyone - including employees - is more familiar with their seemingly legendary customer service.)

The drive thru is very quick even when crowded, with someone out there oftentimes with an ipad and an apparent real desire to get customers through quickly (which is great), and I think it's really nice having an employee running around the dining room helping out with whatever needs fixing, like order wasn't right, or didn't get sauces, etc. We've never seen anything like that before.

I didn't like the chicken sandwich, I actually felt sick after eating it, as did my DH, which was a head scratcher as we've previously enjoyed other chicken sandwiches elsewhere. I also didn't like the fries. Yuck. Too dense. So I've learned when I go now to get the chicken wrap with the apple vinaigrette dressing or just the chicken tenders with no bun, and no fries. I also avoid the sauces there as I think the Chick Fil A sauce sat too heavy for me. But those two things I enjoy. The rest of the crew here, including DH now, likes the deluxe chicken sandwich meal or something like that. (Although they got it while I was working this weekend and DH said he was awake all night with agita.) Again, not sure why because it's not like we never eat fast food. I suspect the oil is heavier than what we're used to, and the fries really soak it up.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

As for the rest of it, I haven't seen any evidence of an agenda being pushed, and it doesn't bother me that they're closed on Sundays. Our state used to have many businesses closed on Sundays (Blue Laws) but that went away for most who chose to be open a while ago. (I do know of some religious based businesses closed on Saturdays, too, and I haven't seen anyone complaining about that.)

I also would prefer "My pleasure" to "No problem", as it shouldn't be a problem when I'm giving someone my patronage and money for a service of theirs. (Unless maybe I screwed something up, for instance.)

As to plastic bags, in certain towns in my state (and soon, I think, the whole state) where I shop, they have gone away a couple of years ago, too. So I now carry a bunch of bags in my trunk but I forget to bring them in half the time. There is still the option to buy paper bags or reusable ones, at an additional cost.

https://www.boston.com/news/local-n...massachusetts-plastic-bag-ban-with-conditions

 

[DeniseJH]

I know other people have already responded, but, since you were quoting me & replying to my question to your initial post regarding Chik-Fil-A pushing religion, I'll chime in & say that I've been to numerous Chik-Fil-A restaurants over the years in different states & I've never seen a Bible verse on any of their cups & no one has ever said to me, "See you in church."


Isn't there a clothes store that puts a Bible verse reference on their shopping bags?

I googled this as I didn't see any reason to believe the previous poster just made it up. This is from a Fox News online story dated Sept 4th of this year, speaking about Chik fil A : "But the company publicly takes it a step further, showcasing verses such as John 3:16, one of the most popular verses in the New Testament, on the bottom of cups and wrappers. The Christian company also has included references to other scriptures, including, Proverbs 24:16..."

So although maybe yours doesn't, some do. Didn't bother looking up the "See you at church!" part.


Apparently "Forever 21" puts "John 3:16" on their bags.

 

[BuzzyBelle]

I googled this as I didn't see any reason to believe the previous poster just made it up. This is from a Fox News online story dated Sept 4th of this year, speaking about Chik fil A : "But the company publicly takes it a step further, showcasing verses such as John 3:16, one of the most popular verses in the New Testament, on the bottom of cups and wrappers. The Christian company also has included references to other scriptures, including, Proverbs 24:16..."

So although maybe yours doesn't, some do. Didn't bother looking up the "See you at church!" part.


Apparently "Forever 21" puts "John 3:16" on their bags.

Actually that quote is referencing In and Out burger. At the beginning of the article it mentions Chick Fil A and Hobby Lobby as companies that are closed on Sundays. It then goes on to list several places that place Bible quotes on their packaging. Chick Fil A isn’t mentioned as one that does.

I couldn’t find any instance of Chick Fil A actually putting Bible verses on any packaging.

 

[DeniseJH]

Actually that quote is referencing In and Out burger. At the beginning of the article it mentions Chick Fil A and Hobby Lobby as companies that are closed on Sundays. It then goes on to list several places that place Bible quotes on their packaging. Chick Fil A isn’t mentioned as one that does.

I couldn’t find any instance of Chick Fil A actually putting Bible verses on any packaging.

You are absolutely correct - I definitely misread that.


I guess the previous poster was mistaken, and I should have done the research - more carefully - before asserting the same.

 

[BuzzyBelle]

You are absolutely correct - I definitely misread that.


I guess the previous poster was mistaken, and I should have done the research - more carefully - before asserting the same.

I was just genuinely curious as I’ve never seen it on their packaging.

I had never noticed or heard anything about Forever 21 before either so you learn something new everyday.

 

[luvsJack]

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/311452

This is a article I found. And it makes a lot of sense why the company limits the number of franchises they own. It may be part of what makes them consistent and successful. Although, I could see where that would be detrimental to someone who wants to own several businesses.

As a comparison, all of our 4 McDonalds and 3 in other towns around us are owned by the same set of brothers. It’s very obvious they don’t ever visit some of these stores. And they don’t have much input on who or isn’t hired.

Had no idea CFA had been around since 1967!

 

[L&Lfan]

I grew up in South Carolina and going to Chick-fil-A in the ‘70s was such a treat. We thought it was the best tasting fast food ever! At that time they were only located in mall food courts; no stand alone stores, at least not in our area. Christmas shopping at the mall back in the day when we were kids always included a trip to Chick-fil-A for a sandwich, waffle fries and a tall cup of sweet tea!
I don’t ever remember Bible verses on any of their cups or packaging.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It was that the viewpoints of the owners don't particularly matter to me any more. I'm just kind of overwhelmed by what they serve and how much it costs.

Ah ok. I gotcha

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think it's really nice having an employee running around the dining room helping out with whatever needs fixing, like order wasn't right, or didn't get sauces, etc. We've never seen anything like that before.

The last time I went to Chick-fil-A the particular location the manager on duty was out and about in the dining area picking up trays for people and dumping the contents into the trash, getting people straws and sauces and napkins, refilling drinks, having quick conversations with people and ensuring every customer had and got what they needed. That does vary by location as far as the attentiveness (and I don't know how frequently that manager does that) but I think I was more impressed that it was the manager as I just don't see that often in places.