The opening of a new Chick-fil-A is like Black Friday.
To avoid the Lynnwood store fray, I went to the Chick-fil-A near downtown Bellevue that opened April 9 to get the goods for a Herald newsroom taste test.
A line of people oozed out the door. Traffic bottlednecked from the I-405 exit. Orange cones divided a separate Chick-fil-A lane. A police officer saved pedestrians from being mowed down by motorists hungry to get into the parking lot that was an organized gridlock of cars.
Lest I get any ideas, a sign across the street at the Arco station warned: “No Chik Fil A Parking. Get towed.”
I would have turned back, but I was too chicken to return to the office without a sack full of fil-A. People love this stuff. I had to find out why.
I parked two long blocks away, across the railroad tracks, at a Burger King where the lot was practically empty — at noon.
There were about 25 people ahead of me in line at Chick-fil-A. The guy behind me said it was his third time eating there and that the line would move quickly. On opening day, he said, the line was wrapped around the building and it only took 35 minutes.
Only 35 minutes? For a chicken sandwich?
What the cluck?!?
The guy was right. I was in line maybe five minutes. The chain is known for efficiency as well as polite employees. The cashier patiently helped me decide what would be a good assortment of things for a group to try.
My order included: Chicken sandwich ($3.55), chicken deluxe ($4.15), spicy chicken sandwich ($3.85), spicy deluxe ($4.45), breaded chicken nuggets ($5.25 for 12) with pack of Polynesian sauce, grilled nuggets ($6.75 for 12), grilled club ($6.49), chick-n-strips ($5.25), waffle potato fries ($2.09 for large), and grilled chicken cool wrap ($6.25), with dressing packs of avocado ranch, apple vinegar and honey mustard.
The bill total came to $62.97.
It was bagged up and ready to go in about five minutes.
Shoot, I could have risked parking in the Arco lot after all.
The Lynnwood store is set to open on an already snarled thoroughfare, so it’s unknown of what mayhem will ensue there.
Each new Chick-fil-A has a “First 100” campout where the first 100 people in line get free chicken every week for a year.
When we lived in Colorado Springs, my son Ian and two high school buddies camped overnight in the parking lot and each scored 52 coupons for combo meals.
That was 11 years ago. “I can’t eat the waffle fries anymore,” Ian said. “I can still eat the chicken sandwich. I never got sick of the chicken sandwich, it still tastes good. Other chicken sandwiches are dry. For some reason, it is juicer.”
Ian hasn’t camped outside a store for a deal since. “I’ll sit outside for 12 hours for a chicken sandwich,” he said, “but not a TV.”
He doesn’t support the founders’ stance against same-sex marriage. “Most people will put morals aside for a good chicken sandwich,” he said.
Several people in the Herald newsroom wouldn’t put their morals aside for a chicken sandwich.
Overall, the reviews were mixed for the food, which was reheated by microwave.
As senior news editor Mark Carlson put it: “That stuff probably needs to be fresh from the griddle and/or fry-o-lator, but the chicken nugget thingys were soggy and the wrap was bland.”
Comments ranged from “I honestly didn’t taste what all the fuss is about” to the “sweet Polynesian sauce that was clearly the star performer, which reminded me of the old Kraft Catalina dressing, which was delicious right out of the bottle.”
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
Chick-fil-A: 3026 196th St. SW, Lynnwood, 425-673-7132, facebook.com/cfalynnwood
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Breakfast served until 10:30 a.m. Closed Sunday.
Alcohol: None
Newsroom comments
Lia Toupin, multimedia sales consultant: “Loved the nuggets with the Polynesian sauce. Would eat that again any day.”
Lynn Jefferson, creative services lead: “Tastes like chicken and probably wouldn’t cross the road for it. :)”
Michael Lapham, support technician: “The food itself was typical for fast-food fare. To me their food actually had less taste than most. I suspect most of the taste is from the large variety of sauces they provide. I never use them so that makes me a poor judge of them. I particularly like fries and I found theirs particularly bland. I do have to mitigate my feelings by saying they weren’t hot. That is when they are best and lose most of their flavor when they cool down. Still don’t think they were anything other than average.”
Stacey Green, customer service rep: “Chick-fil-A is the best thing in the whole wide world! I will be happy to drive myself from Marysville to Lynnwood to eat some!”
Lee-Ann Houlahan, ad sales assistant: “I had the chicken sandwich, regular bun. It was delicious. Not too spicy. The sauces were as good as any. Nothing to write home about. The grilled chicken and fried nuggies were very flavorful. Waffle fries, they too were fabulous.”
Eve Clarke, multimedia sales consultant: “I tried the fried pieces. They were very tasty, but nothing to get too excited about. I wouldn’t wait in line for it.”
Norma Santiago, graphic designer: “Never heard of this Chick-fil-A, until recently. I tried the regular chicken burger and it’s delicious. You can taste the real meat, naturally flavored. The fries were perfect, not salty at all. On scale 1 to 10, I give the fries and burger a 10. Delicious!”
Kevin Clark, photographer: “I like Chick-fil-A because they are easy on the breading. The spices are just as good as KFC but it’s not as greasy.”
Debra King, customer services rep: “Chicken ‘bits’ or whatever their proper name is were terrifically tasty.”
Pilar Linares, advertising director and a Texas transplant: “Chick-fil-A rocks!!! I always go to it when I go back home.”
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