This is what it was like inside Toronto's first Chick-fil-A on opening day
Chick-fil-A has its first location in Toronto. The Georgia-based chain specializes in a line of chicken-based fast food products, and are most famed for their chicken sandwiches.
Founded by Southern Baptist S. Truett Cathy, the chain has also notoriously come under fire for its support of anti-LGBTQ+ groups.
Their opening in Toronto was marked by protests by LGBTQ+ groups, primarily led by local organizations like nearby The 519.
Protesters handed out lyrics to chants and protest songs as well as pamphlets with information about Chick-fil-A's background to people in line on the store's opening day.
They also staged a die-in and attempted to bar entry to the store, holding signs and banners reading "Cluck Off," and other slogans, drawing parallels between their treatment of human rights and animal rights.
Nevertheless, hungry customers lined up overnight before the store opened on September 6, 2019.
It didn't seem too necessary, however: the line only curved around the restaurant a little bit, and from stepping in the line to grabbing food the whole process took about 30 minutes before 11 a.m. on the first day.
Much of this was due to a smooth flow through the restaurant inside, servers with iPads taking orders from people while they were in line for the first busy day.
Ordering and paying was relatively easy, but pickup from a side counter was relative chaos. However, wooden guardrails guiding the queue should prove efficient on more average days.
The Chick-fil-A Chicken sandwich ($5.99) is unfortunately pretty good if you can't stomach the values of the company's founder. The toasted buttered bun is pretty standard, but the chicken itself is the star ingredient that gives the chain its name.
A sizeable boneless grade-A Canadian chicken breast is given a milk and egg wash, hand-breaded, pressure cooked in refined peanut oil. Two crunchy, thin, acidic pickle chips are the finishing touch.
There's a spicy version for $6.19 also with just pickles that, while fiery, somehow seems more run-of-the-mill, but is still a definite comfort. Pricier "Deluxe" versions of the sandwiches come with lettuce, tomato and cheese.
Nuggets ($6.49 for eight pieces) are also on deck, much different from the standard compressed cookie cutter shapes of meat goo. They're actual chunks of chicken, available breaded or grilled, though the breaded version is crispy outside and snowy white inside.
A "Polynesian" dipping sauce is what I get when I ask for something like a sweet and sour, though it's perhaps a little more like a sweet Thai chili sauce.
Waffle potato fries start at $2.99, a dark horse on the menu that true fans seem aware of. Crispy and salty, they remind me of McDonald's fries in waffle form.
A frosted lemonade ($4.49) is one of their most unique beverage offerings, lemonade blended with ice cream for a tart and creamy refreshing treat, though it is about as stable texturally as an average fast food frozen drink.
They also do hand spun shakes ($4.49), iced tea ($2.49) and ice cream ($2.09).
While Chick-fil-A does open early for breakfast, note that the restaurant chain has a 70-year-plus tradition of closing on Sundays.
Fareen Karim
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