This was posted earlier in the meal plan thread...

Yes, but I don't think many saw it and thought it needed its own thread.

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I liked Chick-Fil_A in the park, it was a reasonable size dinner for me, and I liked where it was in the park. I don't eat a lot, and usually only eat once per visit. I go to the park to do stuff, not sit around noshing.

Other restaurants have gone, and I just found something else, though. There's a ton of Chick-Fil-A's in the great big open world.

I wonder if there will be another restaurant in it's place next summer? Can they still use the building?

I've never had the opportunity to eat at the Chick-fil-a at KI, but that's mainly because my wife and I usually just ride out the park for a few hours when we visit and end up eating somewhere outside of the park.

 

That being said, we do really like Chick-fil-a.  We don't eat there too often, but we'll usually pop in once every couple of weeks or so.  There are two locations that we visit, one is at Bridgewater Falls in Fairfield, and the other one is out on Kemper across from Tri-County Mall.  Those two locations have excellent service.  Every employee is very helpful and ask "How can I serve you" and respond with "My pleasure."  They'll even come around while you're eating and offer to refill your drink or take your trash for you.  I've been to very few restaurants that have such polite service.  Even though I could get food slightly cheaper at another fast food chain, it is worth the extra few bucks to get treated with respect and kindness.

 

Having said that, I wish I would've eaten at the location in the park just so I could've compared the types of service received at each of the locations.

Please note the Cedar Point franchisee left.

No one has said anything about Chick-FIL-A's fate at Kings Island.

Yet.

Markus Schleidt is the franchisee of a few stores in NE Cincy, including the one in KI.  If anyone is curious as to whether he plans something similar to what happened in Sandusky, he can be contacted through the store webpage of his other locations in Mason and Westchester.

We had the same experience at KI as we did in restaurant the few times we did CFA in the park.

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All I will say.... and whether you, or anyone else likes it is immaterial to me.... is that most companies are at least smart enough to keep potentially volatile/unpopular views under wraps. There is a reason companies have Spin Doctors/Politicians aka P.R. Representatives, to avoid circumstances such as the one you are alluding to.

And that's exactly why I like CFA. I don't even agree with most (maybe even all?) of their values that are unrelated to fast food that have been made public, but I respect the fact that they don't try to "avoid circumstances" as you say in an attempt to not offend the pansies who can't handle views that differ from their own.

As for you to question their intelligence to choose to go that route ("most companies are at least smart enough...")? Uh...yeah, have you ever driven past a CFA during peak lunch or dinner times? All the ones near me are crazy busy, more than other fast food places nearby, and those lines MOVE. They are as fast or faster than any other fast food place I've ever been to. CFA is killing it despite not being "smart enough" to please the PC crowd. Pretty impressive for a place that, like you said, serves an average at best food product.

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I see that their drive thru and dining area are packed. 

 

I also see that Chipotle is packed

 

and Chilis

 

It's called lunch and dinner time, it's what a restaurant is supposed to do.

Six Flags went through this with Johnny Rockets. When Dan Snyder had an interest in both companies, Johnny Rockets opened in virtually every Six Flags. When Dan was ousted, many of them closed. Great Adventure once had THREE!

Three?! Wow...nothing like having variety. 

A friend of mine in the mall leasing business tells me that all of the CFAs that he has been part of make an average of $2.5-$3M a year.  Doing business 6 days a week.  For contrast, he told me an average Mcds or BK will be lucky to do 2M a year open 7 days.

I see that their drive thru and dining area are packed.

I also see that Chipotle is packed

and Chilis

It's called lunch and dinner time, it's what a restaurant is supposed to do.

Read Gabe's post. CFA's appear to get more business than other fast food places during peak times. I see it every day at lunch time. Chipotle is right up there for sure, I'll give you that. They're nowhere near as quick though and don't have a drive thru.

As for bringing up Chili's, I don't quite understand their relevance to this discussion?

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And that's exactly why I like CFA. I don't even agree with most (maybe even all?) of their values that are unrelated to fast food that have been made public, but I respect the fact that they don't try to "avoid circumstances" as you say in an attempt to not offend the pansies who can't handle views that differ from their own.

 

I think the thing most people (including myself) took issue with was the donations to hate groups. It's okay to have your views, but once you start donating money to hate groups to push those views on people, yeah, that's crossing the line.

 

And then they agreed to stop those donations, and I found that completely acceptable.

 

 

I'm more offended I can't get some of those delicious waffle fries on a Sunday now.

This sucks, CFA was always the safe bet, when choosing a place to eat at the point. Plus the free refills on drinks was nice as well.

You never could get those delicious waffle fries on a Sunday at Cedar Point.  Now you can`t get them the other six days of the week either...

 

Just pointing out the obvious.

I avoid Chick-Fil-A simply because I don't like their food.

You never could get those delicious waffle fries on a Sunday at Cedar Point.  Now you can`t get them the other six days of the week either...

 

Just pointing out the obvious.

 

The word "now" wasn't the meaning you think it meant. I should have put it at the front of the sentence.

I was just stating any restaurant during a lunch rush is busy, that's just how it always is.

I ate there last year and was surprised it wasn't that overpriced for park food. A chicken sandwich and fries was under $7 before tax. If Cedar Point was a local park and I planned to eat a meal in the park, that would have been somewhere I would have gone to often.

Six Flags went through this with Johnny Rockets. When Dan Snyder had an interest in both companies, Johnny Rockets opened in virtually every Six Flags. When Dan was ousted, many of them closed. Great Adventure once had THREE!

I thought it was strange that they closed the one in Plaza Del Carnaval, and kept the other two open. One near the fountain and the other one near Nitro that are only a few minutes away from each other.

I've seen Chick-Fil-A restaurants with drive through lines wrapped around the building at 9 PM. Hardly a time that corresponds with a lunch or dinner rush.

Also, they are consistently the fastest moving line among concession stands at KI. Not like that is really much of an accomplishment, but worth noting.

At Cedar Point their line wasn't always existent. Especially with a fantastic Nacho, turkey leg, & elephant ear stands within a 30 second or less walk. There's a burger joint very close, but I'd never recommend it.

 

However, nothing in that park beats Chickies & Petes, the Beer Garden, Cheese on a Stick, or the parks catering this year. All have been absolutely fantastic.

I like Chick-fl-a and their lemonade

I have worked at a standalone Chick-fil-A for a little under two years now and the only times that it hasn't been noticeably crowded during my shifts were on holidays near closing time.

The only time our Chik Fil A here doesn't have lines out the parking lot is on Sundays, or 7:15 am on weekdays. (Which is when we typically visit. Chikn Minis are the best.)

 

It's gotten to the point where they have workers standing beside cars taking orders on tablet computers to speed things along. They are remarkably quick considering the insane crowds.

We can assume CFA is busy because of simple supply and demand. They offer a decent to good product (I like there food personally) depending on who you ask. The stores are separated by a few miles usually at least 25+ minutes. The price is not terrible and service is fast. As opposed to say McD or BK where they are more common in location.

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In DC, the proposed Chick-FIL-As are a mile apart--barely...

Also, the breaded Chick-FIL-A chicken contains MSG. This was quite a shock to me. I will not be eating it again.

McDonald's and Burger King are rare in the District--particularly the latter. Wendy's even more so.

^ MSG??? No more Chik Fil A for me. Even many Chinese food restaurants don't use MSG anymore.

Check their own website.

There it is.

Wow msg.... Ugh something else to think about....

And hats a lot for an area in DC but it's all relative. From my house there is a CFA about 5 mins away. The next closest CFA is about 20 mins. On the way to that CFA I'll pass 4 McD 2 BKs 2 Skylines 2 Arby's and 2 Wendy's but only one Taco Bell...

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It can take 20 minutes to drive a mile around here. Or to walk.

And chain restaurants are few and far between...for the most part.

Madison Square Garden?