Much to the dismay of my more progressive friends, I'm a loyal fan of the Chick-fil-A chain.
As a single adult with few family connections, I appreciate having a place I can go where I can get a good meal, great service, and pay a fair price. My dining in has definitely slowed down throughout the pandemic, though I continue to marvel at Chick-fil-A's ability to adapt to the pandemic by adjusting their drive-thru processes.
I don't get to this location as often as others since I live in Lawrence, however, it's a place that gets my occasional visit when I have an appointment on the Franciscan campus.
I recently decided to get some labs done on the campus rather than at Cityway and this gave me the opportunity to once again experience this location.
First off, this location will always have a special place in my heart because of how they responded to a friend's situation with a dog who was dying. This dog LOVED Chick-fil-A's nuggets and in her final days Chick-fil-A really responded kindly and generously as my friend spent her final days with the dog and rewarded her daily with some nuggets. It was kind and compassionate and just so consistent with what I've come to expect from Chick-fil-A.
On this particular visit, I hit the drive-thru during the morning. The line wasn't too bad and the employees were outside taking orders. This has become fairly standard for Chick-fil-A with the increased use of their drive-thru. I was greeted warmly, asked for my name for the order, and the order was taken. I'm not as familiar with the breakfast menu and took a moment to decide what I wanted to order.
We scanned for the reward points (the rewards program really is rather generous...you do need to download their app and I do find it's quite difficult to retroactively get points if you forget).
Typically, the person taking the order also receives payment. This day was a touch different and there was a different person taking payment. Then, I drove forward to get my order. They have two ordering lanes that turn into one in terms of receiving the orders. It does look like they have a set-up that allows for two-lanes when business is busy (which is frequently).
While many chains have truly failed miserably during the pandemic, Chick-fil-A has truly risen to the occasion. I'm sure it has been a stressful time, but they've been incredibly impressive in how they've adapted while also protecting employees and customers and following health orders. Yes, I still get the occasionally wonky order - and, yes, Chick-fil-A can drive me bonkers by putting very little ice in an iced tea - but, for someone who doesn't have a whole lot of human connection my life it's nice to have a place to go where the service is great, the food is good, and the pandemic hasn't been an excuse to see service go out the window. Prices have risen a bit, as is true for every restaurant, but for the most part it's still affordable.
Going to Chick-fil-A? Truly my pleasure. read more