Among the many communication and interpersonal skills I learned during my time as an employee at Chick-fil-A, I also acquired some knowledge highly coveted by Chick-fil-A super fans: hacks, tips, and tricks for receiving a piping hot sandwich no matter the time of day.
Now, as someone who works in the customer service industry, I certainly would not advise you to harass or communicate a certain amount of disrespect to the employee who has the pleasure of taking your order. Nope. Not only will you learn how to get a freshly made Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich every time, but you will learn how to get it respectfully, no begging required.
#SpoonTip: All products at Chick-fil-A can only be in the warming drawer for 20 minutes before employees throw out the product. This is to ensure guests always receive fresh and safe food.
1. Get a special order.
If you are someone who normally gets personal adjustments to any of Chick-fil-A’s sandwich items, you probably receive your food hot and fresh out of the fryer most of the time. This is because the kitchen staff prepares only regular, non-adjusted menu items for faster service, as those items are guaranteed to sell. If you choose to omit pickles or ask for something extra on your sandwich, you have a much higher chance of acquiring a hot sandwich, because the employees will have to pay specific attention to ensuring your sandwich order is fulfilled correctly.
Some people like to ask for pickles on the side, which is perfectly OK if you prefer to place your pickles yourself, but you may receive your pickles slightly warm, because the pickles are not always refrigerated for long amounts of time; when you receive a hot sandwich, the pickles’ warmness is easy to ignore because the sandwich is also hot.
2. Be kind.
To a tired food service worker, kindness is almost as good as getting off work early. Although the reliability and accuracy of the service you receive should not depend on whether you are polite to your Chick-fil-A server, a little respect goes a long way. Chances are, the employee taking your order is much more likely to push your order along if you are patient and kind; it is their pleasure to serve you, after all.
3. Just ask.
If you go up to a Chick-fil-A employee and immediately say, “I want my sandwich hot,” especially during a lunch rush, there is an incredibly small chance the worker will heed or care deeply about your request, given lunch rush is wildly stressful, the turnover rate is quick already, and you were just extremely rude to them.
As a customer, I understand and agree you should receive your food fresh and hot every time, and believe every restaurant or food seller should optimize their service based on this principle. Although, I cannot recommend enough asking politely for a hotter sandwich than one you received in the past.
Ultimately, the trick is to be kind. Especially as someone hailing from New Jersey, the environment is very quick and the people are very restless, so taking the time to ask your server about their day or just being more conscious of your manners can make a big difference to the employees. The worker is more likely to recognize and care about your needs if you notice they are a person and not just a means to receive your food. That being said, if you are frequently kind already, and it has not always worked for you in the past, I suggest switching up your order slightly or largely, to ensure a hotter result.