12 Common Customer Complaints About Chick-Fil-A

It sometimes feels like there's no stopping Chick-fil-A. The perennially popular chicken restaurant opened hundreds of new locations in 2025, and as far as customer satisfaction is concerned, it continually tops the charts thanks to its great food and superlative customer service. However, like any fast food chain, it has its problems. Chick-fil-A isn't immune to customer complaints, and when its patrons aren't satisfied, they're not shy about voicing their concerns and frustrations.

Sometimes, these frustrations feel similar to those felt by customers of other fast food chains: Despite its reputation for quality, Chick-fil-A food can often be inconsistent, and people have increasingly felt that meals are getting smaller for the same price (good old shrinkflation). Elsewhere, customer complaints about Chick-fil-A can feel completely and utterly specific — its Sunday closures, for example, may not be a new thing, but that doesn't mean that people aren't irritated by them. Some more historical issues have also remained a thorn in customers' sides to this day, too. If you've ever felt alone in your annoyances about Chick-fil-A, then you might find some solidarity in this article.

The fact that Chick-fil-A closes on Sundays is one of the more well-known things about the restaurant. It all stems from founder S. Truett Cathy's beliefs that Sundays should be a day of rest and worship for those who observe. This has been the case ever since he opened his first restaurant in 1946, and to this day, employees get the day off on Sunday, while customers have to get their chicken sandwiches elsewhere.

That's something that a lot of Chick-fil-A diners don't like. Some people question why the restaurant isn't open on a Sunday, but stays open during federal holidays; others ask why it advertises on Sundays if it's not going to open its doors. Other customers, meanwhile, don't understand why every single Chick-fil-A has to close – couldn't some of them stay open?

Generally speaking, though, most customers appreciate that Chick-fil-A has the right to set its own opening times. They may not agree with the reasoning behind it, but they find other customers' irritations about it a little strange. You can be sure that people will be annoyed about it for years to come, though.

Shrinking portions at restaurant chains have become an all-too-common occurrence in the last few years. As food prices rise and businesses try to retain profit margins, the very product that built their core fanbase can take a hit. This, according to customers, has been happening at Chick-fil-A — and people aren't happy about it. Chick-fil-A fans have repeatedly accused the chain of shrinkflation in the last few years, and it seems like none of its menu items are safe.

Its chicken sandwiches, though, bear the brunt of the criticism — and in some cases, the differences between sandwiches bought a few years (or even a few months) apart can be dramatic. "I had a spicy chicken sandwich yesterday, and noticed that the chicken was less than ½ inch thick," stated a customer on Reddit. The post goes on to recall that the chicken patty on the same Chick-fil-A sandwich, purchased a few months prior, was over an inch thick. The chain's shrinking sandwiches have even been the reason some customers have stopped going entirely. It's not just its sandwiches, either: Chicken nuggets, breakfast sandwiches, and biscuits have all been criticized for their diminishing proportions.

Chick-fil-A has a long, contentious history around its donations to various groups with anti-LGBTQ+ standpoints or policies, as well as alleged discrimination against LGBTQ+ employees. For years, the restaurant gave millions of dollars to organizations like Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Marriage & Family Legacy Fund, and continued to do so in the face of criticism and boycotts. In 2019, it announced that it would discontinue donations to certain groups with anti-LGBTQ+ ties.

However, while this was a welcome step in the right direction for the company, its history remains an issue for many customers. People question why a business that maintained active ties with groups that seek to actively suppress the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals is one worth spending money at, and ask how others can ignore its past. Some who don't support the company's anti-LGBTQ+ actions have also asked whether the food is good enough to justify eating there, given its moral standpoint. Aren't there enough chicken chains that do a sandwich just as good without the tumultuous history?

Chick-fil-A has never been on the cheaper end of the scale, as far as fast food is concerned. For a lot of people, that's just fine; they'd rather pay a little more and ensure they're getting quality food than opt for something cheaper and leave unsatisfied. However, in the last couple of years, a lot of customers have felt that the balance at Chick-fil-A has tipped, and the price-to-quality ratio now feels off. Its food being too expensive is now one of the most common complaints about it, and it doesn't look as though it's going to change any time soon.

To be honest, these complaints feel justified when you hear how much people have been spending on simple items. "Just got my son a 12 count grilled nuggets with a fruit cup for the side. Total was $19 and change," said one customer on Reddit. "NINETEEN DOLLARS. For a fast food combo. It's been fun, CFA. I'm done." Its grilled items receive particular criticism for their high price point, but complaints aren't limited to just these. It feels like almost everything at the store these days is too expensive for some. Some are even advocating that you just buy frozen breaded chicken instead and skip the restaurant entirely for a similar-quality meal at a much better price point.

The sauce is one of the best parts of a fast food meal, and at Chick-fil-A, it can be an event in and of itself. That's thanks to its famous eponymous sauce, which is one of the main reasons to go to the restaurant in the first place (although there are plenty of other Chick-fil-A sauces to choose from). These days, you'll be lucky if you get enough of it, though. According to customers, Chick-fil-A is becoming ever-more stingy with its sauces, and in some cases, people have found that restaurants are ignoring the requested number of condiments on an order, and instead giving them less than they asked for.

Now, there's an argument to be made that just because someone asks for sauces doesn't mean that a restaurant has to give them the number they want. Chick-fil-A has to consider its stock and the needs of other customers, of course. However, why offer people the opportunity to request a certain number of sauce packets if you're not going to give them out? This isn't just a problem with Chick-fil-A's nugget and fry dips, either; its salad dressing and ketchup packets have also been on the stingy side for customers. Give the people what they want, Chick-fil-A — don't make them make their own Chick-fil-A sauce at home. 

Chick-fil-A prides itself on the efficiency of its drive-thru operation — and its ability to get customers through the other side, food in hand, with minimal fuss has been praised by a lot of people. Not by all, though. Plenty of customers still find that Chick-fil-A's drive-thrus take way too long, and that they're left sitting in line for ages before they get their order — and they're not hesitant about voicing their annoyance to employees. Others have questioned whether Chick-fil-A's drive-thrus have gotten slower as time goes on, which could indicate a deterioration in speed and attentiveness (or an inability to keep up with demand).

It should be said that this issue doesn't seem to affect all Chick-fil-A locations, and only certain places bear the brunt of the criticism. On a wider level, though, Chick-fil-A's longer wait times have been observed by a 2022 study by Intouch Insight and QSR, which found that the restaurant had the longest average wait time of all the restaurants surveyed. Chick-fil-A performed well in other criteria, but it's clear that its speed isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Chick-fil-A might be good for many things (mainly it's chicken, let's be honest) — but coffee isn't one of them. The restaurant's coffee options are widely regarded by customers as being the worst thing on the menu, and despite attempts by the company to improve its offer with new flavors and options, it just doesn't hit the spot. It's the coffee itself that seems to be the issue: Chick-fil-A boasts on its website that it uses "specialty-grade, farmer-direct coffee," but customers report nasty flavors and a lack of any redeeming qualities.

Although all of its coffee options get their fair share of criticism, its iced coffee gets particular heat for being terrible, with customers continually saying how poor it is. "I think Chick-fil-A's iced coffee is the worst thing they offer," stated one person on Reddit, who didn't hold back in their assessment. "I keep getting it from different locations thinking maybe it was just my local one, but every Chick-fil-A I get it at, it tastes absolutely horrible to me." Another person, also on Reddit, compared its taste to that of cleaning fluid. If that isn't damning, we don't know what is.

Most people know what they're getting when they go into Chick-fil-A — and that's attentive customer service. Chick-fil-A employees are famously both efficient and polite, and while most people appreciate that (especially in comparison to other fast food chains that may not have such high customer service standards), elsewhere, people can find it irritating. One particular quirk that people can be riled up by is the fact that Chick-fil-A employees are instructed to say "my pleasure" instead of "you're welcome." It might seem innocuous, but certain customers find it to be a gimmick imposed by corporate, as opposed to a choice on the part of the employee.

The efficiency of Chick-fil-A workers can also be annoying when ordering at the drive-thru. Employees will often grab your order while you wait in line in a bid to save time, but they'll sometimes be stationed before the physical menu, which can be frustrating for people who want to check out what they want before they decide — or who don't know the menu by heart. Chick-fil-A may have your experience at the core of all of this, but sometimes, in its pursuit to make things as easy and stress-free as possible, it actually makes things worse.

Receiving an incorrect order at a fast food restaurant is nothing new, and chances are it's happened to most of us at some point. When it occurs at Chick-fil-A, though, it feels different. This is a chain that aspires to have better customer service than the rest, and so when things go wrong, it can be more of a letdown than if it occurred elsewhere. Plus, it happens a lot. Customers have complained online of orders consistently being messed up, of full orders being entirely wrong, and of poor experiences as a result of it all.

For some people, Chick-fil-A's tendency to get orders wrong is such a problem that they've sworn off the chain for good, unwilling to accept another mistake. On the other hand, most people are willing to give it another shot — and Chick-fil-A's generally pretty good at rectifying mistakes when it makes them. When they happen again and again, though, it makes you wonder why you bother going there in the first place.

Chick-fil-A's sandwiches are, for many, the stuff of legend. Its Original Chicken Sandwich (which is Chick-fil-A's best-selling item) is the food that it built its name on, and further additions to its line-up have bolstered that reputation. More recently, though, people have started to feel that its sandwiches are going downhill, and their texture is a sticking point for a lot of customers.

There are two main complaints aimed at Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwiches: That they're soggy, and that they're dry. First, let's talk about the sogginess. Customers have often noticed that their sandwiches have no crunch whatsoever, tasting more like a grilled chicken sandwich than a crispy, fried patty. Some say that this is because they wrap them in foil-lined pouches, which trap moisture inside and, in essence, steam the sandwiches slightly. When they're not soggy, though, they seem to be lacking in any juiciness and are instead rubbery, stale, and disappointing. If you ask us, we'd say that Chick-fil-A can't afford to mess up its flagship product, so it might want to go back to the drawing board slightly here, before people start making their own Aldi copycat versions. Hey, it'd be cheaper!

A lot is made of Chick-fil-A's customer service, but the customers themselves have found that it's often not all it's cracked up to be. Yes, Chick-fil-A employees go through a lot of training and are generally regarded as being on the better end of the fast food customer service scale — but people have still experienced lackluster, occasionally hostile attitudes at its restaurants. At times, managers have had to intervene to apologize on behalf of employees, leaving a bad taste in customers' mouths.

For some, Chick-fil-A's customer service standards feel as though they've been slipping in recent years. When that fact is coupled with poorer food quality, some fans of the chain have been put off from going there again. Some now compare the chain to the likes of McDonald's and Popeyes on a customer service level, while others have observed that employees can no longer get a handle on busier stores, leaving everyone feeling in a state of chaos. Given that its customer service is all part of the higher-end experience that Chick-fil-A tries to offer, it can't really afford to let this one slip.

Yes, we know: Fast food almost always looks different from the images that advertise it. What else is new? At Chick-fil-A, though, the difference between its marketing images and the actual food you get can be pretty egregious. Customers have repeatedly stated that the entrées and even Chick-fil-A's fan-favorite side dishes don't look anything like the food they're shown in its advertisements or on the menu, leaving them frustrated and disappointed.

This is an issue with several different menu items, but one that particularly stands out is the Honey Pepper Pimento Sandwich. The menu image for this sandwich promises a plump patty smothered in pimento cheese sauce; instead, what customers get is more of a suggestion of the sauce itself, with the smallest dollop on top of a flat piece of chicken. It's bad enough for customers to dub this as false advertising. Again, there's nothing new about fast food chains slightly overselling their items, but in Chick-fil-A's case, it's promising a lot — and sometimes not delivering.