By Nate Smith | LTVN Sports Director
Chick-fil-A is overrated. There, I said it. I know this is a controversial take, especially at Baylor, but as a self-proclaimed fried chicken connoisseur I feel that it is my responsibility to break this down from a scientific standpoint.
Possibly the biggest point of contention when I discuss Chick-fil-A is the fries. At their absolute peak, they are a solid fry. They have a semi-crunchy outside, a soft inside and are usually seasoned pretty well. However, even under these circumstances they’re nothing remarkable.
At their worst, they are dry, floppy clumps of fried potato that should not even be mentioned in the same breath as superior fast food fries such as those from McDonald’s or Whataburger. More often than not, they fall somewhere in the middle. It is fry that is below average by itself but can be elevated with your favorite sauce. As we all know, a great fry is only great if it is great without dipping sauce.
Next is the chicken itself. I’m not going to lie, the chicken itself is pretty good. It’s almost always fresh and has a good flavor to it, even without any sauces. My problem with their chicken comes mostly with how substantial the portions feel. Are you going to leave Chick-fil-A with an empty stomach? Probably not. However, when you pick up one of their sandwiches, it just feels skimpy. When you put it up against the likes of competitors like Popeyes, not only is it not as large of a sandwich, but the smaller cuts of meat can even result in the chicken being tougher and less juicy than some of their competitors. Most of their competitors use a more premium type of bread like a brioche for their buns. While this isn’t the end-all be-all for sandwiches, I would be lying if I said Chick-fil-A’s bun was on par with competitors like Popeyes or Church’s.
I’d also like to talk about Chick-fil-A’s famed customer service. I can’t deny how great it is, but I can say this: as long as your food is good, does customer service even matter that much? It’s nice when Chick-fil-A rolls out the red carpet for you when you order your eight dollar meal, but it is also unnecessary. Restaurants like Popeyes and McDonald’s will basically sling my food at me through the drive thru window with zero regard for human life, and I will still thank them for my food and be happy when I eat it.
Chick-fil-A is a good fast food establishment. I would be an absolutely insane person if I said otherwise. Despite the fact that I just wrote an entire article complaining about it, I do enjoy it. However, this act that we all participate in where we act like Chick-fil-A is the best thing to ever happen to fast food is ridiculous. Just because something is given too much credit, doesn’t mean that it deserves no credit at all.
