Confessions Of A Former Chick-Fil-A Employee And The Chicken Cult
What else is there to say? Well, actually a lot. Take it from someone who’s been on the other side of the counter. As a former Chick-Fil-A employee, here are some of the questions, comments, and complaints about Chick-Fil-A that I heard all the time. Chick-Fil-A isn’t your average fast-food restaurant. It’s both beloved and controversial. People have literally had Chick-Fil-A cater their weddings. It’s a fried chicken cult.
1. I Could Eat Chick-Fil-A Every Day
When I was working there, I did eat Chick-Fil-A every day, and honestly? It gets old pretty quickly. As a Chick-Fil-A employee, I got a free or discounted meal every shift I worked. U.S. labor laws mandate at least a 30-minute break for every 6 consecutive hours worked, so I had to take a lunch break. Since there was nowhere to store a lunch brought from home, I ate food from the restaurant. The store where I worked allowed up to $8 free, so we could get any item on the menu that was less than $8. If you wanted to fancy it up, the difference was taken out of your wages.
At first, it was great. I love Chick-Fil-A and getting it for free felt like winning the lottery. But eating fried chicken every day – even delicious Chick-Fil-A fried chicken – actually made me feel bloated and sick to my stomach. Too much of a good thing, and all that jazz. By the time I left, I thought I would never eat Chick-Fil-A again. Fortunately, that didn’t turn out to be true. But now I only eat Chick-Fil-A on occasion instead of every day and it’s a much healthier relationship.
2. Chick-Fil-A Should Be Open on Sundays
I’m not going to say that I’ve never woken up on a Sunday morning and thought “Man, I could really go for some Chicken Mini’s right now.” I understand the struggle. But that’s probably not going to ever change. Sundays off is built into the structure of the company because of its Christian roots. It is important to a lot of Christians that they have Sunday off for church and fellowship. From a non-religious view, it’s also awesome having one consistent day off every week.
Working in the food industry, it can be hard to build a normal routine. Many food service workers don’t know what their schedule will look like week to week. At Chick-Fil-A, at least I knew that Sundays were always free. So, even though I know it can sometimes be frustrating, I actually like that Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays. Besides, there are plenty of other places to get your Sunday morning hangover fix. This is another confession of a Chick-Fil-A employee.
3. If You Say “You’re Welcome” Instead of “My Pleasure” Will You Get Fired?
Of course not. Saying “my pleasure” in lieu of “you’re welcome” is just one part of the Chick-Fil-A commitment to customer service that sets it apart from other fast-food chains. Forgetting to say “my pleasure” was never a fire-able offense. For the most part, neither I nor my coworkers minded the change of lingo when on the job. It seeped into my every day life as well, but that didn’t bother me either and in fact has helped me nail job interviews since leaving Chick-Fil-A.
In fact, “my pleasure” became so ingrained into my speech pattern at Chick-Fil-A that years later, I still say it more often than I say “you’re welcome.” I know other former employees do the same and, like birds of a feather, we former Chick-Fil-A employees can recognize each other in the wild merely by using this phrase. What we disliked – actually, hated – were the customers who made a game out of how many times they could get us to say “my pleasure.” Look. Chick-Fil-A employees are unfailingly nice and helpful, but they’re not robots. Saying “my pleasure” is the company’s way of showing its customers they care. Don’t be that guy who ruins it for everyone else. This is another confession of a Chick-Fil-A employee.
4. SO, I heard Chick-Fil-A has a Secret Menu
No. Just no. This probably isn’t your fault. A lot of blogs capitalize on the “secret menu” trend and tell readers about what they can get on the down-low at places like Starbucks or Wendy’s or, yes, Chick-Fil-A. But trust me, if you walk into your local Chick-Fil-A and ask for a Blueberry Cheesecake Delight or a Grilled Cheese Sandwich, you might be disappointed.
Most likely, your cashier will have no idea what you’re talking about. Chick-Fil-A employees make minimum wage, so memorizing a whole secondary, “secret” menu is above their pay grade. They’re not going to smile and say “my pleasure” when you inexplicably walk in and order a chicken burrito.
If you must go off menu, just tell the cashier what you’d like substituted or added. There’s nothing wrong with asking for bacon and a side of ranch for your Chicken Deluxe. After all, who doesn’t like bacon and ranch? But don’t wink and ask for the Bacon Ranch Deluxe or whatever name you saw online and expect your server to understand. This is another confession of a Chick-Fil-A employee.
5. Isn’t Chick-Fil-A Anti-Gay?
This isn’t a question with a simple yes or no answer. Chick-Fil-A’s controversial reputation stems from the founder’s negative stance on the LGBTQ community. As a former Chick-Fil-A employee, I have to say that his views are not my views. Nor were they the views of anyone I knew at the company during my time there.
Ultimately, Chick-Fil-A is a franchise and each location is different, so I can’t speak for all of them. But at my store, we were not anti-gay. I had coworkers and managers who were part of the LGBTQ community. We had regulars who were part of the community. We treated our coworkers with respect and our guests with the same level of service every other guest received.
If you personally abstain from Chick-Fil-A because you don’t agree with the views of the founder, that’s okay. If you stand firmly in support of LGBTQ rights but you still enjoy waffle fries, that’s okay, too. It’s not a black and white issue. If you’re still confused or concerned about it, ask a friend who’s actually in the LGBTQ community what they think – but be prepared to find that there’s a wide range of opinions on this topic.
At the end of the day, Chick-Fil-A is a pretty great place to work. A lot of what I didn’t like when working there was standard food industry nonsense, like being on my feet for long hours, grumpy customers, or smelling like fried chicken at the end of the day. For a fast-food job, though, it could have been a lot worse. And besides, when you’re a Chick-Fil-A employee, people are always happy to see you.
Ultimately, Chick-Fil-A is a franchise and each location is different, so I can’t speak for all of them. But at my store, we were not anti-gay. I had coworkers and managers who were part of the LGBTQ community. We had regulars who were part of the community. We treated our coworkers with respect and our guests with the same level of service every other guest received.
If you personally abstain from Chick-Fil-A because you don’t agree with the views of the founder, that’s okay. If you stand firmly in support of LGBTQ rights but you still enjoy waffle fries, that’s okay, too. It’s not a black and white issue. If you’re still confused or concerned about it, ask a friend who’s actually in the LGBTQ community what they think – but be prepared to find that there’s a wide range of opinions on this topic.
At the end of the day, Chick-Fil-A is a pretty great place to work. A lot of what I didn’t like when working there was standard food industry nonsense, like being on my feet for long hours, grumpy customers, or smelling like fried chicken at the end of the day. For a fast-food job, though, it could have been a lot worse. And besides, when you’re a Chick-Fil-A employee, people are always happy to see you.
