Topic: my dining out experience

[Predator Don]

So my brother and I are killing time, and when we do this it usually involves going to Bass Pro Shops. We're hungry. Craving chicken, it's rush hour, so we decide to forgo Chic Filet ( gotta fight the traffic) and stop in KFC......and we make the mistake of deciding to dine in.

You know when you go to Chic Filet, all the employees are in uniform, clean cut, polite, they just have "that look" we all appreciate when someone is making our fast food. Enter KFC. Oh, they are in uniforms, but I highly doubt any of them were wearing  CLEAN uniforms....and I mean as in I don't think they had been washed at least a few shifts. And I don't know what the difference in hiring practices are between KFC and The Chic, but the KFC employees make the "people of Walmart" look NORMAL. So.... we are still stupid enough to get in line.....We get to the register and this human says...hey, i'll be with you in a minute.....1 minute passes...2 minutes...3 minutes.....Suddenly, the snarly traffic doesn't seem so bad, we get out of there and head to the Chic, where we are greeted by NORMAL people.

[benb61]

And better food.

[Glock32]

Chick-fil-A has always impressed me with how clean their restaurants are, without exception. The staff are also noticeably better. The company is proof of how it can be done, and they obviously aren't hurting for business either.

[AmericanPatriot]

And they can do it in only 6 days per week

[IronDioPriest]

Never been to Chick-Fil-A yet. The first ones in MN only opened last fall, and I just haven't been there yet.

[BigAlSouth]

Chic is a top-down company with a strong sense of family and spirituality. (They are not open on Sunday, as posted previously) They pay a bit more for their help so they can get the best. I am amazed every time I go to the drive thru how cheerful and genuinely happy the staff is.

[Libertas]

KFC blows.  I would eat gas station or vending machine food before ingesting that garbage!

They just opened a brand new Chick-Fil-A by me...I think I'll stop by for dinner on the way home!   

[ToddF]

There was only supposed to be one or two, but there are several that just opened.

I do have to get to one. 

494 & Penn Ave in Bloomington.  No excuses not to hit this place up.

[Glock32]

Plus they were targeted by the Left several months back over -- what else! -- gay marriage.  Anything targeted by the Left for destruction earns my automatic support.  I always liked Chic-fil-A anyway. The food is good, especially for fast food.

[Alphabet Soup]

Never been to Chick-Fil-A yet. The first ones in MN only opened last fall, and I just haven't been there yet.

The nearest one to me is 70 miles away. I'm still tempted ;')

[Libertas]

I just whipped through the drive though on the way home yesterday, young lady was patient and friendly, food was really good (those waffle fries are swell!) and prices aren't bad (I would compare to Culvers) and I will definitely be back! 

 

[LadyVirginia]

We were soooo happy when Chic fil-a opened near us. 5 minutes away! Guess what several people in my family got for Christmas gifts? Gift cards from there.

We have a family friend who works there. He really likes it. He's early 20's and was working at another chain nearby. He wanted to take a few days off to go to some church retreat and the manager gave him a hard time about it (he'd asked weeks in advance). When Chic fil-a opened he got a job there and asked about time off for the church retreat. No problem.

About 10 years ago we had family over and I decided to get chicken for dinner rather than cook. So one of the kids and I went to KFC. We went inside because I wanted to look at the menu options. Just as we got inside some woman was screaming about a rat that had run under the garbage can in the sitting area. My daughter and I turned around and left. I don't know where we went next but I never went back there. Several years later they "remodeled" the place (which took months). I still won't eat there and now that Chic is across the street I won't ever have to either. (I might add none of the KFC employees seemed to care about the rat.)

[oldcoastie6468]

Never been to one. Nearest one is about 60 miles away.

[richb]

Never been to one. Nearest one is about 60 miles away.

There is one in Orland Park and Merrillville Coastie.   Granted they aren't on every corner in the Chicago area,  but there are a hand full that have opened in the last two or three years.

On another note,  I met Dan Cathy (CEO and son of the founder) about 2 years ago at a business conference at the alma mater.   He did a nice program for us all there and met with just about everybody who was there too.    One of the things he said,   that just about every location does more business in six days then a McDonalds does in seven. 

Their Franchising system is pretty unique too.   They don't allow hands off investors,  only people that will operate the location themselves,  and only a few are even allowed a second location.     They build and equip the building and lease it to you.   So that is the reason why they seem well run.  Hands on operators with plenty of direction from the head office. 

[oldcoastie6468]

Never been to one. Nearest one is about 60 miles away.

There is one in Orland Park and Merrillville Coastie.   Granted they aren't on every corner in the Chicago area,  but there are a hand full that have opened in the last two or three years.

The horrible traffic jams, no matter what time of day it is, and cost for gas deter us from going to either one of those locations.

[rustybayonet]

Never been to one. Nearest one is about 60 miles away.

On another note,  I met Dan Cathy (CEO and son of the founder) about 2 years ago at a business conference at the alma mater.   He did a nice program for us all there and met with just about everybody who was there too.    One of the things he said,   that just about every location does more business in six days then a McDonalds does in seven.  Their Franchising system is pretty unique too.   They don't allow hands off investors,  only people that will operate the location themselves,  and only a few are even allowed a second location.     They build and equip the building and lease it to you.   So that is the reason why they seem well run.  Hands on operators with plenty of direction from the head office. 

I can attest to that -- this small town I live in has both Chic and Mcd - McD is just hanging on and at Chic they are lined up out the drive and into the street for lunch and dinner.  The KFC is a miracle they haven't gone under, Shoneys pulled the plug three years ago Burger King before that and if you see three cars in Wendy's it's rush hour.