If the article in the New Yorker Magazine was meant to turn people off to Chick-fil-A, it only made me, a veteran New Yorker, that much more intrigued.
Earlier this week, I went to Chick-fil-A’s website to see their menu and plan my visit; it is beautifully done. It features attractive photos of their products and a tasteful (no pun intended) sense of design. It doesn’t blast you with large text and images of intensely colored sandwiches, transitioning in and out, in order to put you into some sort of trance. As a prospective customer, I appreciated the company’s sense of respect for its audience.
Since I am pro-vegetarian, I decided to look through their menu to see what alternatives they offer to a typical order of sandwhich, fries, and soda. I was pleasantly surprised to learn about what they have to offer! In particular, I loved their selection of signature drinks.
I decided on a small order of waffle-fries and a frosted lemonade and head out to their Rockerfeller Center location (open until 12am; perfect for active New Yorkers).
Upon arrival, I could see how this franchise stands out among its global neighbors. To begin with, it’s in the Diamond District- which is heavily represented by Jews. First, I see a diamond store, then an international money exchange right next to it. In front of the money exchange is a kiosk selling a Chinese newspaper about business and trade, written in English. Next up, there is an Indian restaurant, then a McDonald’s, followed by a building with a lobby. All of this is very indicative of the Global Jew (diamonds, currency exchange, and internationalism). Finally, at the end of the block, Chick-fil-A (closed on Sundays, in Christian observance of the Sabbath). Lots of people were going into the restaurant.
When I went in, I saw that all of the dining spots were taken. I got into line to wait my turn to place my order. A young lady came up to me, smiled and offered me the restaurant menu to look at while I wait. What a fabulous and personal touch this is! I already knew what I was going to order, nevertheless, I liked having the menu in my hand to look over their products and review their menu presentation.
When it was time to order, I met a beautiful young lady named Jasmin. I ordered small french fries and asked for her advice about which frosted drink to try (I do love strawberry shakes…). She confirmed that the Frosted Lemonade would be the drink to try because it is tasty and unique. She went further to say that if I didn’t like it, she’d make a strawberry shake for me instead. Wow! That is in stark contrast to “the usual” fast food staff which looks and behaves soo blasé. So, with this generous guarantee, I went ahead and ordered the frosted lemonade and she prepared it beautifully and even put whip cream on top. With a smile, she handed the drink over to me and boy, did that frosted lemonade look good! I couldn’t wait to try it. For a moment, I had nowhere to sit, but just my luck- a seat opened up by the counter and I was in business. As I sat down, a Chick-fil-A staff member even tucked my seat in for me! I looked around and saw groups of young men sitting together, chatting, having chicken sandwiches, and looking refreshingly hip. To my left I heard one of them say, “Yeah, man” to my right, another young man said, “Chick-fil-A.” Together, it sounded like, “Yeah, man. Chick-fil-A”. It was too cute and coincidental, I had to smile.
Here is my order!
The french fries were different. They didn’t have that hyper, fried, salty, chemical taste to them that I am used to from other fast food restaurants. Those fries are notorious for tasting good for the first few seconds, then hardening up into something unappetizing. Instead, Chick-fil-A’s fries reminded of the french fries that my mother makes for me. First, she slices potatoes. Then, she fries the slices. That’s it. It’s natural, it tastes like potatoes. This is how Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries struck me and it was a welcome experience coming from a fast food restaurant. In addition, I had two small bottle shaped packets of Heinz ketchup to go with my fries. The packets are really cute. I think that the restaurant has other sauces besides ketchup, that are available to go with your food; nice!
Then, I came to my frosted lemonade! Wow, was it good! It was creamy and softly tart with the taste of lemon. Chick-fil-A knows how to make this unique combination work! This drink is delicious and I would definitely order it again!
Try Chick-fil-A; I think you will be pleasantly surprised!
Maritza S. Rivera 