1. These are amazing tips!!! Why didn’t I know about the free ice cream 3 months ago when I was pregnant?!

2. As a marketing director/wife of an owner of a Chick-fil-A, I can say that some of these must be coming from a specific location. Each restaurant is independently owned and operated, so make sure you check your facts before arriving.

   A few examples that show what I’m talking about:

   I’ve seen a quesadilla in over 12 years, but it certainly does sound awesome!

   Many Chick-fil-A restaurants do something special for pregnant women, but many of them don’t. Be sure to check before “expecting” a free item.🤰

   The heart behind this article is great! And truly, we at Chick-fil-A want to serve everyone to the best of our capacity. Just some locations do things differently than others, but that’s what makes us so special and unique: each location has the ability to customize how they can best serve their own community. That’s why we love it. Just be sure to check your local Chick-fil-A before getting any of these items.

   • Melissa, thank you so much for clarifying! These are things that I have personally experienced at the CFA I frequent, as well as several other locations, and I certainly did not intend to write anything untruthful. I will update the article to state that each CFA is independently owned and operated and these may not apply to all locations. Again, thanks for commenting! We love CFA and will visit soon I’m sure!

3. STOP IT LADY! Way to go… you’ve just caused a lot of problems for independent CFA franchise owners across the US.

   A lot of what you just posted is not true, yet many of your readers will now go to their local CFA and demand those things. When the 16 year old cashier politely tells them she doesn’t know what the customer is talking about… no doubt the customer will get angry and begin harassing that little girl. Happens every day, all day long and you just added to it.

   Being a very frequent guest of CFA for many years, here’s my response to your “list” of “hacks;”

   1) Quesadilla – Not True – CFA won’t make anything if there is not an official procedure for. How much cheese goes into it? Everything they do has a specific measurement. Cooked on what? CFA does not have microwaves. What packaging? Everything has a specifically made package. Is there butter on the tortilla? Is it sliced? Is there protein in it? If so, how much? If so, is that protein sliced or chopped? If chopped or sliced to what dimensions or chop level?

   2) Free kids cone – True. Not really a “hack.”

   3) Arnold Palmer – True. Any restaurant will do this… Not really a “hack.”

   4) Added Ice Dream – Not True. Again, unless there is a specific procedure for making a food or drink product, CFA will not do it. How does one maintain consistent quality across the chain without detailed guidelines? How much ice dream? How is that charged? And how much should they charge extra? Does that work with their food costs?

   5) Free ice dream to pregos – Not True. Why? Because they’re nice? How does CFA manage discounts and giveaways with such a program as this? What’s the rule for this? One per prego per day? How much ice dream? Is it a kids cone or a large cone? Cone or cup???

   6) Grilled Cheese – Not True. Once again, lady… if there is not a procedure then there is no way to manage quality or costs so no CFA franchise should be making anything special. What kind of cheese? How much cheese? Does their registers have a button for that? How is accounted for within their inventory?

   7) Added bacon – True, any restaurant will do this. Not really a “hack.”

   8) Crispy Fries – True, any restaurant will do this. Not really a “hack.”

   9) Fresh Salad – True… but thanks for jamming up their speed of service. I imagine all of their produce is washed, cut, and chopped in the morning. All these ingredients are then placed in bulk containers. Salads are made in the morning from the bulk items (all restaurant chains do this). If you are ordering a salad with something special just to get a “fresh salad” do you really think it’s any fresher than the pre-made salads since all your ingredients are being pulled from the same bulk ingredients? It’s just being assembled at different times.

   10) 1 Meal = 2 kids – True… but saving money??? Not True. Yes, you can do all you say, but here’s the math; Kids Meal 2 Strip Meal = $4.85 x 2 kids + .20 for buns = $9.90 OR your method of a 4 strip meal = $8.19 + .20 for buns + $1.89 for kids drink = $10.28. In your method one person would get the meal’s medium drink and the other would get the extra ordered kids drink. Also in your method the kids would split the medium fries. Ordering an additional fry would increase your price. So, this really isn’t a smart way of saving money… because it doesn’t.

   11) CFA ONE App – True. I love their app!

   12) CFA Calendar – True… or at least used to be. CFA began reducing calendar giveaways years ago. Besides, 2018 was/is the last year for the calendar. They are no more.

   13) Leftover breakfast – Not True. If any kitchen is doing this, they aren’t following procedures. First, there shouldn’t be leftovers as much is made almost to order… and what isn’t is based on what has been ordered, on average, for the past month. This is so they don’t waste food. Second, any leftovers are frozen and donated to soup kitchens to feed the homeless. You taking leftovers to save a dollar or two is robbing the soup kitchen.

   14) Survey – True. There’s an algorithm to their survey… not sure what it is but it’s not an absolute every five receipts.

   Please consider posting an edited version of your story. And you might consider going and actually talking to a CFA Franchise Owner before you do something like this again.

   • Dear Steve Chambers,

     Thank you for saying what every Chick-fil-A Marketing Director wants to say.

     Sincerely,
     Every Marketing Director

   • Steve,

     I found the article great PR for Chick Fil A. As a mom, I get and see that not every one may offer these items (and there’s a disclaimer saying just that), but your response is truly in poor taste and not in the spirit of the Chick fil A owners and franchisees I’ve experienced. You are looking at this from a 100% business standpoint with your response when truly its an amazing piece written by someone who had this experience first hand. So true or not true for ALL Chick Fil A’s, I would look at it as FREE PR with no real red flags. They didn’t write anything negative – thank goodness – which is usually the battle restaurants face.

     I’m appalled that you would say things to a customer such as “you taking leftovers to save a dollar or two is robbing the soup kitchen” – seriously?! You could have addressed each concern privately to the Blog as well instead of airing it for everyone to see. Or you could have, in good taste, addressed each issue with a light hearted correction of the facts instead of blatantly attacking the writer.

     Perhaps step back and read it as as a third party consumer who is now extra excited for their next visit to CFA! Just a few thoughts from a CFA-lovin mom is more concerned about your response to the blog than the piece itself.

     Best,

     Anne

   • Steve,

     I understand your side. And I can tell you are very passionate about this topic. However, I encourage you to approach your feedback by showing respect for the writer – regardless of whether or not you think she’s right. I was so appalled that you refered to the writer as “lady” several times that I couldn’t take anything else seriously.

     This article isn’t going to break CFA’s proverbial pocketbook. Judging by the lines circling their restaurants at every given hour, I think they’re gonna be ok. In fact, we don’t frequent CFA on account of those lines. So if anything, this post reminds me why we should brave the crowd and get some well done fries or Arnold Palmers. Which, by the way, are things I previously didn’t know existed and, in turn, are tips that will actually bring my local store money they wouldn’t have otherwise had.

     Your passion for chicken is noted. But so, too, is a profound lack of decency.

4. These tips are awesome! For the critics coming out of the woodwork to correct the writer of this article—she surely did not make up these hacks, but has experienced them firsthand. And surely the moms reading this blog will understand that each franchise may not offer these same exact perks. The point of the article is to highlight the amazing customer service and benefits CFA often offers. It’s good press!

   CFA marketing folks, it’s so disappointing to see such a negative response from an organization I generally hold in such high regard.

5. To Steve and Kate, your heart may have been in the right place with your comments but you certainly let your emotions take over. Before you ever start a comment with “STOP IT LADY”, maybe try instead – to stop yourself. Write your first angry version and then pause. Between your reaction and your response there can be a pause. In that pause there is wisdom and tact. What are your goals in your response, to anger others or to give another perspective? It seems that you have some experience Steve in the fast food industry. However, your words lose all their power due to your tone. Your wisdom is lost. I promise you that you left nothing for this writer or the readers to grow from. You left her only a bad taste in her (and my) mouth because your words were both condescending and authoritative. She has an editor, you aren’t her boss. To be cheered by a corporate Chick-filet employee just fuels the fire. I have always known chick filet to he filled with the most polite and kind employees. I feel like I have frequented enough of them across the country to say that with wisdom. I have no doubt that if an individual franchise did not offer one of the above hacks, it would be handled with grace and professionalism. You went low and you could have gone high. Your advice became the worst kind of advice, useless.

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