Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Is it just me...

Or does Chick-Fil-A just suck now?

I went to the restaurant in downtown Jackson yesterday, and spent most of my time in line figuring out what I'd have. Do I go totally healthy (by fast food standards) and get the grilled sammich with mustard? Do I get the nuggets with the fruit cup side and diet lemonade?

After the person in front of me ordered, I finally started doing my people-watcher duty and looked at the counter people. The guy serving me started laughing with his co-workers, but when he looked at me, immediately went slack jawed. From :D to :O in a second, I tell you. It was like I was covered with bananas. I waited for him to get over his shock and ask me what I wanted, but he never said anything, so I assumed his mouth was wide open in breathless anticipation of what I was going to order.

I went with my second option. An 8-pack of nuggets, a fruit cup, and a diet lemonade.

Cue "back in the day" nostalgia here... When I was in college, the nuggets were an appropriate nugget shape and size. Two bites would polish one off, or at least one slightly big bite. I could use 2 entire sauce cups with one order of nuggets.

The ones I got yesterday were about the size of corn flakes, and honestly could have fit inside the two sauce cups I was provided. I thought, "surely, while miniscule, they're as delicious as they were at UNO." That's never, ever true, y'all. I should never think that the food anywhere is as good as the food made anywhere in New Orleans, even on a college campus. They were somehow soggy and rubbery at the same time. The diet lemonade tasted a little like a cup of water that a lemon had sneezed on. At least the fruit cup was good. Mostly apples. Love it.

So, wholly unsatisfied with my Chick-Fil-A experience, I went to Cups, Jackson's own awesome coffee shop. I saw that they were serving grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato bisque for lunch. While kicking myself for not noticing that sign on the way to Chick-Fil-A, I ordered their decaf du jour (snickerdoodle! can you say YUM?) and a chocolate covered biscotti.

So, I won't be going to Chick-Fil-A again, and I'm wondering if my experience was unique, or if their food quality really has declined in the 8 years since I was in an educating environment. I do seem to remember going there once or twice while we were in California, and one of the times I got a patty the size of a nugget that made the bun look like it was overcompensating. I went back to the counter and asked if that's really how big the patties were, and again, a slackjawed worker stared in awe at me and nodded.

At least the fruit cup was good.

3 comments:

C said...

Here in the Big D, Chic-fil-A rocks. Always yummy and fresh.

The particular franchise I go to is supposedly the most profitable one in the state. The people are friendly, etc.

Must be a case by case thing.

Brou HahHah said...

You got a dud Chick Fil-A, hon. The ones here in LA are still quite good. Kid you not, try their chicken salad sandwich. You'll be surprised.

Melinda said...

No Chick Fil-A up here that I've seen. But the food here kinda sucks. I went to a very nice restaurant and decided to treat myself to a steak. Now, well done in New Orleans means cooked until there is no longer any red or pink. Here, it apparently means cooked until the edges are unchewable (I thought I would break a tooth!) and the whole think tastes like charcoal briquettes. Even oodles of steak sauce didn't work. Somehow, it actually made it worse! The mashed potatoes were lumpy and watery at the same time! My date was like, well, you ordered it well done with mashed potatoes! Ahem, poor thing was from Michigan and had never tasted REAL food apparently. Thank goodness I can cook!