Negative rating if possible option......
Purely DISGUSTING and an absolute DISAPPOINTMENT - a friend and myself went into Chick-fil-A yesterday (7/31 @ 4:30 pm) for our first-time visit since their reopening. Prior to the remodeling closure, this location was always such a nice sit-down, dine-in treat, but yesterday's (7/31) experience truly blew me clear out of the water and has me reconsidering whether or not this should be a desirable place to return with my friends and family.
Before, the hospitality and overall approach had an inviting appeal, knowing the cleanliness and staff were always top-notch. The lobby always had at least one employee ensuring the face and the brand of the company was up to "my pleasure" standards, always welcoming (at times opening the door) customers at the front entrance, consistently cleaning booths and floors, and even checking in on each customer after their first bite. Even removing trays from tables when noticing the meal was finished. Seriously, at the time, this store went above and beyond for each customer.
What in the world went wrong?
After plenty of glances looking to the counter, it was apparent the staff was neglecting the dine-in customers and prioritizing the drive-through orders instead. Our meals took far longer than the passing vehicles and especially delivered cold. What was even more off-putting was how FILTHY and DISGUSTING the dining area remained from the moment we stepped foot inside the restaurant till we left.
It was shocking how many staff members were sitting and taking a break or staff clumping together and visiting among themselves beside the front entrance. No employee surveyed the area to collect the stack full of trays by the trash can that was overfilled, not cleaning off the crumbs and grease across ALL booths and tables, not sweeping the fries, napkins, and straw wrappers from the floor. Nothing in comparison to what it was like before.
There WASN'T a single seat that was decent or clean for dine-in customers to enjoy their meals. Nearly every table had leftover sauce packets or some remnant of customer visitation and never an attempt at cleanliness afterward. This experience would have never passed before the closure.
What surprised me was a trainer had taken a break with a new employee in the backside (apparent they were on lunch) and, when returning from break, she (the trainer) chose to grab the order table tent from a table but didn't bother grabbing an empty soda cup right beside it. Had she done so, she would have noticed how packed the trash can was, the trail of fries on the floor, and the long stack of trays in the waste area, which a saw a customer have to "push the trash" to provide space to dump his waste in the bin. Not to see the low stock of condiments; note they were scattered throughout the restaurant. And yet, this was a trainer training a new employee (Deana) demonstrating the expectations of how to maintain this particular store (#01892) dine-in customer experience.
I've worked in the food industry, and this doesn't pass. Seeing plenty of behind-the-counter and no front presence to maintain that face value shows the decline in company/customer relations.
The only staff member who perceived customer dine-in was Donna, who was generous enough to refill our drinks before leaving.
I love Chick-fil-A and hope to push for a second dine-in. But having gotten sick later on, we'll see. read more