urbanSTL

matguy70 wrote:But the chain has never had self standing stores or stores outside of foodcourts in the metro area.

There's been a free standing store in Chesterfield for a few years, in that ridiculous Boones Crossing complex. I'm guessing the operator of the Chesterfield Mall store pulled out and built a free standing one when it became clear that that strip mall complex has replaced Chesterfield Mall as the retail center of the area.

Chain or not, Chick-Fil-A is fantastic. Quality food, great service. This is great news.

Guess I'll be risking my life going out there more often.

Chick-fil-A to replace Macaroni Grill: Brentwood mayor

http://40southnews.com/chick-fil-a-set- ... oni-grill/

Won't be going.

Chick-Fil-A is one of my favorite chains, but I think I'll choose another location whenever I crave it. Eager Road is already a nightmare, and Chick-Fil-A freestanding locations generate some serious traffic on their own.

The food is so good though and the service even better...

dweebe wrote:

threeonefour wrote:Chick-Fil-A is one of my favorite chains, but I think I'll choose another location whenever I crave it. Eager Road is already a nightmare, and Chick-Fil-A freestanding locations generate some serious traffic on their own.

The stretch of Eager has always been a nightmare, always will be a nightmare and the addition of a Chick-fil-A will only make it worse.

Definitely. I am impressed at how Chick-fil-A manages to handle high volumes of customers with expediency, friendliness, and professionalism, but even that cannot fix the existing clusterfark on Eager Road or the new one that their restaurant will create. Currently, the nearest locations to my humble Southside bungalow are in Arnold and Sunset Hills. Is it too much to ask for a Chick-fil-A slightly closer to home? I'd love to see one downtown as RWII suggested.

For starters there appear to be at least 5x as many employees working at a StL chick-fil-a vs your standard fast food establishment. The employees are well trained and polite. I like how they check on you while you're eating, refill your drinks, refill your drinks, and clear your table.

moorlander wrote:For starters there appear to be at least 5x as many employees working at a StL chick-fil-a vs your standard fast food establishment. The employees are well trained and polite. I like how they check on you while you're eating, refill your drinks, refill your drinks, and clear your table.

Absolutely. It is a top-notch company, and that is why it's my first choice among chains whenever I dine out.

I chose the stance of not eating a Chick-fil-A after the the situation about the political/moral/religious views of their owners. Don't worry, I'm not judging those of you who don't do that. I understand the disconnect between a product and the people who happen to own the product. Just the choice I made.

But I do miss it. The food is excellent. The service is good. It was a staple of mine the short-time I lived in Auburn, AL, right up until that story broke.

The other chicken chain I'd like to see us get is Zaxby's. It's not quite as good as CFA, but it IS good. Apparently there's a couple in Columbia, but nothing else in the state. Their seasonal birthday cake milkshake is to die for.

runbch wrote:I wish I could take moral stands like you, but Chick Fil A is too good.

Haha! I agree. While we're all entitled to our opinions, I believe Chick-Fil-A has done a lot of good things as well. I'll never forget the snowstorm that paralyzed much of the South last winter. In Birmingham, a Chick-Fil-A closed early when conditions worsened, but when motorists became stranded along a highway near one of their stores, some employees returned to the store and delivered chicken sandwiches and beverages to the stranded motorists. They are also very involved with philanthropic endeavors at the local level and donate a lot of food consistently as well.

I understand why some people take issue with some of the stands the company has taken over the years, but on the balance I think Chick-Fil-A is an asset to the communities in which its stores are located.

somewhat reminds me why I hate the poultry allergies I developed a couple years ago. (I can eat it but I end up itchy all over which is no fun) I have noticed that at least there is increasing variety in chicken places in the area than in the past, since in most areas in the metro area (and still is in many areas) the only real chicken-centered restaurants that are chains was KFC, and in many of the same areas there weren't many local places as well. As someone mentioned earlier I do see Zaxby's as inevitably entering the market, I think the issue is getting franchisers lined up.

Another food product I noticed that is interesting like this is donut places, which has for the most part been locally owned with limited chains. (grocery stores in the metro area are similar in this) Since Krispy Kreme has only a couple in the market even after 15 years here and Dunkin Donuts is just returning in the market, though Tim Horton's seems to be making a huge push starting next year here in terms of this segment of food.

onecity wrote:Every time I hear a new anecdote about that so-called "snowstorm," it goes farther into the realm of the absurd.

It seemed like a nice gesture to me. I guess because Fox News broke the story, some people think it didn't really happen? Sorry I missed the MSNBC and Huffington Post reports about how it was all some elaborate hoax.

onecity wrote:Not that at all. That whole "snowstorm" was just so...minor. 2 inches to shut down an entire metro? It makes me laugh, and I think it was funny.

Haha! Sorry I misunderstood you. Yeah, it doesn't take much to shut down the South. Atlanta is a much larger metro area than Birmingham and it didn't cope very well with a bit more than a dusting either.

I can be pretty critical of MoDOT and the streets department, but at least we aren't paralyzed by a couple of inches of snow!