In a survey of 264 West Ottawa students, 124 respondents said that they had gone to the Chick-Fil-A in Holland in the 36 days it had been open. That is approximately 47%, and that applied to the entire student would mean that approximately 1081 WO students have been to the restaurant in a little more than a month. With the number of students who have been to the restaurant, it is clear to see the hype that surrounds Chick-Fil-A.

Aidan:

  I am right, Chick-Fil-A is not overrated; the hype is reasonable. Chick-Fil-A sauce is the best sauce I have ever had from a fast food chain, a perfect combination of ingredients that mixes well with any food imaginable. People literally camped outside of the restaurant in anticipation of the opening.

  For a couple nights before Chick-Fil-A opened, people camped outside the restaurant. Typically, when people camp outside of places, they are waiting for things like a new iPhone or a new gaming system, always items that are hyped up, and the items tend to live up to the expectations. People clearly enjoy the food at Chick-Fil-A enough to wait outside. This shows the anticipation that people had waiting for it to open. Adding to this, Chick-Fil-A opened in February, in Michigan, February is still the middle of winter. Chick-Fil-A opened February 8, the night of the 7th, the temperature was around 20°. The fact that people spent the night outside in 20° weather shows that Chick-Fil-A food is worth it.

  According to a map of states’ favorite fast food restaurants on Business Insider, Chick-Fil-A is the favorite in 39 out of 50 states. In order for this to happen, the food has to be extremely good. Most fast food places have way more locations than Chick-Fil-A, but Chick-Fil-A still manages to compete with the other chains. Chick-Fil-A has around 2100 locations in the United States, places like McDonald’s have upwards of 56,000 locations. Chick-Fil-A manages to bring in around $5.2 billion.

  A single chicken sandwich at Chick-Fil-A is $3.65. At McDonald’s, the chicken sandwich is on the $3 menu, meaning the Chick-Fil-A sandwich is only 65 cents more expensive than the McDonald’s sandwich. And for the higher quality, Chick-Fil-A is worth it.

  People often complain about the line at Chick-Fil-A, and how it takes a while to get food. If someone thinks ahead, they will download the Chick-Fil-A app, order online, then skip the line and pick up their food upon arrival at the restaurant. I have personally done this twice, and it has worked wonderfully.

  Typically at a McDonald’s or Wendy’s, the wait for food is around three to four minutes, with the Chick-Fil-A app, the wait is similar, taking about five minutes. And the line doesn’t even take that long to get through; there are always four cash registers open. Typically at fast food restaurants, they have one or two cash registers, and if they have two, one of them is typically closed. The four registers allow for quick movement through the long line.

  The food from Chick-Fil-A is better than the food from anywhere else. McDonald’s chicken sandwiches have less flavor than Chick-Fil-A, and, when paired with the sauce, I have never had a sandwich that I enjoyed more than a Chick-Fil-A Chicken.

Alec:

  I’m right. Chick-Fil-A is way overrated. To be fair, it is pretty good, but it gets way more hype than it deserves. Whenever I go there, there is always a huge line around the corner, and I don’t understand why. It is really not that special.

  In the nights before they opened Chick-Fil-A, there were people camping outside of the restaurant, waiting for it to open. To think that people would actually do that is ridiculous. Especially for a fast food restaurant. Chick-Fil-A has some pretty good nuggets, but they are not nearly good enough for people to wait days in the cold for. The food really isn’t much better than that of McDonald’s.

  Compared to other fast food restaurants, Chick-Fil-A is nothing special. If I take a chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A and a chicken sandwich from McDonald’s, I’m obviously going to notice a difference, but Chick-Fil-A isn’t that much better than the competition. Chick-Fil-A is slightly better than McDonald’s and Wendy’s, but it’s a bit more expensive too. Plus, at this point, I would rather go to McDonald’s to avoid the crazy line at Chick-Fil-A anyway. If I go to Chick-Fil-A during the dinner rush, it might take 15 minutes to get my food. At other fast food restaurants, I can walk in and get food almost immediately.

  Chick-Fil-A is similar to KFC, and nobody ever goes to KFC. The food is similar, but people talk about Chick-Fil-A so much more. When was the last time you went to a KFC restaurant? I can personally guarantee that I have not eaten KFC in the last 2 years, but a large number of WO students have been in the new Chick-Fil-A in the month that it has been open. Why? Chick-Fil-A is not much different than its competitors, and it doesn’t deserve its popularity.

  For months leading up to Chick-Fil-A’s opening, I heard everyone talking about it. MONTHS. I don’t care how much you like Chick-Fil-A, it’s still a fast food restaurant. I had never tried Chick-Fil-A until earlier this year, and based on what everyone told me, I was expecting it to be incredible food. However, I was only disappointed. I had a chicken sandwich and fries, and I was honestly not impressed.

  Overall, I must admit that Chick-Fil-A is a pretty good restaurant. It has some tasty food, but it is not as good as most people claim. Compared to its competition, Chick-Fil-A is nothing to deserve the hype that it gets.

Find out for yourself if Chick-Fil-A is overrated or not. It is located on N Park Dr. across from Walmart.