At a birthday party yesterday afternoon for our three year old, we had a tray of Chick-fil-A nuggets, I absentmindedly grabbed one later that had cooled to room temperature and popped it in my mouth, no sauce.

Man alive! That’s why these things taste so good, they are quite salty. I love salt and salt, everything, but eating one of these at room temperature really opened my eyes, they brine them first and then they coat them in that seasoned flour, which must have a lot of salt in it.

I’m not complaining, just making an observation here. Salt does bring out the flavor of everything.

Salt, fat, and sugar are the primary things that trigger our caveman brains to think that things "taste good". That's why all fast food is loaded down with it.

Pretty much all prepared food, whether it’s fast food or not, is loaded with salt.

The only thing I've pretty much ever eaten from CFA is their morning chicken biscuit. It's been a very long time...years...since I've had one, but thinking back, I don't recall the saltiness being noticeable or overpowering. I put honey on them, so maybe that subdued the saltiness?

I just looked it up and it’s something like 1400 mg of sodium per CFA chicken sandwich compared to something like 690 mg for McDonald’s. So it’s not just my imagination.

I watch my salt intake after having a heart issue and was interested if their spicy chicken morning sandwich. It has 1500mg of sodium which is outrageous. Probably the highest sodium content of any single item I have ever looked up. A definite pass for me after that.

Oh just dandy. Sunday morning and now I have a craving for a CFA spicy chicken sandwich. Thanks guys.

I counted 21 cars waiting in line at noon the other day waiting to get their CFA fix.

Three at the Wendy's, 90 feet away.

A while back I had to be very careful of salt intake for medical reasons. My Dr. said no eating out period, fast food or otherwise. An eating establishment has one job and that is to get you to like their food so you come back. The most cost effective method for doing that is to load everything down with salt. After being careful to cut way down on salt intake, I was able to eat out again, and found that things I had eaten all my life were very salty.
Rod

Had to look at this thread on a Sunday. Thanks a lot.

I never got the hype for CFA. Yes the staff is well trained and polite. Their morals and politics seem to align with mine. However the food is nothing special and while most CFAs I've been to have lines that stretch around the block, one opened up here in town and it always looks slow.

^^^^^^

I never did either, Hildur. I believe the reasoning behind CFA's popularity and success is a fairly simple business model:

1) You mentioned it...their politics and values relate to MANY soccer moms with similar political and family values, and they keep politics out of their business. I just hope they don't go woke at some point!
2) You mentioned it...their customer service training is second to none.
3) Chicken...It's the fallacy that eating (this) chicken is healthier than hamburgers. I don't think it is...JMHO.
4) Advertising...you gotta admit, those cows on the billboards are pretty funny.
5) Happy employees?...as a teen, I would have been more happy with my job had I been guaranteed Sundays off.

That's my take. It's worth exactly what you're paying for it...

I like CFA. Before I retired in ‘18, it was a frequent lunch spot (In-N-out being another). Now that I’m on my own time, I can visit earlier before the crowds hit and I continue to frequent.

I’m only 70, I’ve never really worried about salt intake and it will be rare to see me in a grocery store isle reading the nutrition labels. Everyone dies. I enjoy while I can.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:

I counted 21 cars waiting in line at noon the other day waiting to get their CFA fix.

Three at the Wendy's, 90 feet away.

I'll bet that all 21 cars at Chick-Fil-A were through the line and on their way, while two of the original three were still waiting at Wendy's.

quote:

Chick-fil-A

I feel so deprived. The nearest one is 60 miles away.
Worse yet the nearest Krispy Kreme is 100 miles away

CFA is extremely popular in my little north Texas town. One in a ideal site has a three lane drive through that is maned by walking "waiters" during the peak.

As to the salt, I've noticed this at just about every FF offering. Salt rules. You can tell if you have left overs and eat them not completely hot the next day. The salt is overpowering.

Even fresh off the grill and hot I found CFA food too salty and bland for my liking.

k5blazer -- too bland? Have you tried the Spicy Chicken sandwich?

Thanks for explaining what it is about Chick-fil-A sandwiches that I like. The Mrs. is not a fan so it isn’t a common meal, but I do enjoy them. I was trying to figure out what it was about the that I liked as they seemed pretty simple, but I sure do like them. As someone who like a little food with my salt, I now know what the CFA attraction is.

... and the MSG.

--K