Due to character limits, I'm just going to address everything that made this latest visit a…read moredisaster (following a LONG hiatus from CFA). First, I made the mistake of ordering on the app & dining in (vs picking up). They brought my order out to my table (just the bag, with no tray or anything), & based on the presentation, they were seemingly expecting me to eat my #1 (with colby jack, no pickles, large fries, a shake & a large diet lemonade with light ice) on a bare table like a zoo animal. Nevertheless, I said to myself "Welp, seemingly everyone is cutting corners these days, so maybe Chick-fil-A simply got rid of the trays for dine-in customers & this is the new 'normal' when dining in at Chick-fil-A (?)". Either way, a real turn off, but there's more.
Moments later, I realized that I never received the lemonade that I had already paid for within my order. I reluctantly got up to request my missing lemonade, an employee got the lemonade & I returned to my table. Simple fix, but why is it so hard to simply bring exactly what I ordered the first time (especially considering how small my order was)? A short time later, I noticed the same female employee bringing several orders out to tables with trays (the same "trays" I thought they no longer had available, as I was not given one when my order was brought out). I once again found myself having to get up from my table (a SECOND time) to request a tray. At this point, I've had to interrupt my meal twice just to address items that already should have been addressed by CFA employees.
As I continued on with my meal, I got halfway through my Chick-fil-A sandwich "with colby jack cheese & NO PICKLES" only to realize that the sandwich contained several pickles (despite me specifically requesting "NO PICKLES" within my order, & despite my receipt literally stating "-PICKLES" on the outside of the bag [in Plain English]). Mind you, any actual smart person knows that when you place sliced pickles up against a bun, you can certainly remove them after the fact, but the flavor of the pickles still soaks into the bread AND the protein (ultimately leaving the "pickle" taste behind on both portions of the sandwich [even after removal of said pickles]). I was inclined to get up from my table (for what would now be a THIRD time) & ask them to correct my sandwich, but at this point, I just didn't have the patience NOR the time to do so (with my lunch hour quickly reaching its expiration). These variables left me with no choice but to continue eating the pickle-infused sandwich, creating an unappetizing dining experience (actually the SECOND one within the same day [which hasn't happened to me in quite some time]).
I'm well-aware of the fact that you're primarily dealing with young employees (many of which are under the age of 25, with a pre-frontal cortex that has not yet reached full development) when visiting just about any fast food destination. For this reason, I try my best to give grace when dealing with young people who clearly fall within a certain age bracket. Despite this (specifically when it comes to THIS particular location), I'm not quite sure why it is so difficult for Chick-fil-A employees (of ALL ages) to A. be proactive, B. anticipate customer needs (aside from the robotic "my pleasure" scripted responses), C. ensure that each takeout AND dine-in customer is being treated equally (including but not limited to something as simple as ensuring that EVERY customer is receiving a tray when dining in vs being forced to eat on a bare table like a zoo animal), & D. follow SIMPLE instructions (including but not limited to ensuring that takeout AND dine-in customers are receiving exactly what they paid for [as CLEARLY printed on the order receipt that is literally plastered to the exterior of each bag]); It is beyond me how these "common sense" items are so difficult for employees at this CFA location to manage, but I can say that this visit was a firm reminder of all the reasons why I have stayed away (regardless of how popular the place is, regardless of how close it is to work).
Any idiot knows that the food at Chick-fil-A can be excellent when fresh AND prepared with care/as ordered, but once your employees have shown that they can't follow simple instructions, it becomes obvious that removing the risk & dining elsewhere is often the best option. Who is training these people, who oversees the quality assurance & WHAT HAPPENED to quality customer service/common sense? These questions remain unanswered here, but based on my observations, management needs to start with the basics & build from there (when it comes to training new employees &/or RE-training tenured employees), because I've worked in customer service for over 30 years, & to say that they are skipping the absolute BASICS at this location (when it comes to quality customer service/attention to detail/common sense/etc.) would be an understatement.