By Arabella Ceralde
During typical semester hours, the Student Activity Center provides a wide variety of dining options. One of the more notable locations is Chick-fil-A. By the number of people gathered in front of their window, you’d think they’re giving food away for free.
In an interview with Addison Roederer, an on-campus student, she says she has waited as long as 1 hour and 20 minutes to get her food. This is not uncommon for anyone ordering during the peak lunch hours. Roederer’s typical wait time is 45 to 60 minutes for an 8-piece nugget, sweet tea and a large fry.
However, because there are fewer classes on Fridays, Chick-fil-A’s lunch rush is much quieter. Anytime that is not 12 to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday doesn’t see the exaggerated crowd pictured above.
Lead Supervisor at Chick-fil-A, Alex Trotta-holt, confirmed this as the worst time to order your food, especially if you want grilled nuggets. He explained that orders typically take longer if they fall under the special category. Items with cheese, lettuce, tomato, or anything grilled are considered special and are made to order.
The large window in the middle holds common menu items such as spicy nuggets and Chick-fil-A sandwiches, which can be prepped and stocked. Chick-fil-A has a separate role for specials operated by one person, which can sometimes overwhelm that staff member.
Despite selling around $20,000 worth of food during a typical weekday, the staff is generally positive. To the Chick-fil-A team members, the rush doesn’t have a great effect on them. The floor is staffed with about 15 to 20 people. Roughly half run the back and half work in the front.
Since the storefront began using Grubhub in 2021, students have been able to order while they’re still in class. This can cause over 100 orders to come in at the same time.
“If you order then, you might as well just wait until the lunch rush is over, because you’ll get your food at around the same time,” said Trotta-holt.
Before Grubhub, most waiting was done before ordering, rather than the hour wait to receive food.
The app attempted to fix this issue with the On My Way Button.Users tap the button to prove they’re in the store. However, this option causes employees to see orders rush in around 11:45 p.m.
Chick-fil-A continues to be notorious for its excessively large crowd during the peak lunch hours. Who plan to have chicken for lunch can expect a long wait and may need to adjust their lunch time.
