Since they're a private company, they don't have to be motivated solely by money, unlike most public corporations.

If they want to let their assets sit unused for 1/7 of the time, for whatever reason, no one can tell them otherwise.

It's not any different than someone refusing to buy an American car (or refusing to buy a foreign car), even when it would be financially advantageous to do so.

If you want to hate on the Cathy family for being conservative Christians, go right ahead. But at least you can't hate on them for being hypocrites.

We tend to want what we can't have...which is why CFA is so appealing on Sunday.

I seem to remember that being open on Sunday was a good strategy for Kentucky Fried Chicken, in the beginning.

Nothing (even aside from giving your money to religious wackos). They have the same grilled chicken sandwiches you can get at nearly any other fast food outlet; it's expensive for what it is; there's nothing special about the food; and maybe the extra cost is to make up for the money they lose being closed on Sundays.

Sorry, this just isn't true. The normal Chick-Fil-A sandwich is not grilled, but a slightly breaded or coated piece of chicken. Breast meat, I think, and very, very, tasty. I'm sure they probably do have a grilled version, but I've never tried it.

I've eaten fast food from every major chain in my area. McD, BK, Carl's Jr, In-N-Out, Fatburger, KFC, JitB, Sonic and a slew more. CFA has the best chicken sandwich I've ever had. Really. Second best used to be the Sonic deep fried version, but they changed something with the recipe, and it's off the list.

The nuggets are good, but I prefer the sandwich or the strips. Very fast service, always polite, and a lot of coupons out there. They have a yearly calendar that they sell (or free if you buy a gift card), that has free stuff every month of the year.

I don't get off on the bible thumper stuff, but hey, they've got a right to their beliefs, as long as they keep pumping out their kick ... chicken.

There are no CFAs in South Africa, so you're making me jones for one. Plus when I get back, it'll be Sunday, so I'm screwed there too. <Stan Marsh voice> You .......!

At least Rt 59 in Aurora, IL is only a 10 minute drive. The other locations in IL are rural/remote areas.

if you are in atlanta, and you have kids, you will visit chikfila. especially the ones with the indoor play areas.

as Jaimito Cartero mentioned, the regular chicken sandwich (chicken, pickle, and bun) is great. the grilled version is not as good.

but being closed on sundays, and the whole religious thing, are major turnoffs.

Zaxby's is my favorite, but there are only a couple in Charlotte. Then I go to Bojangles, then Chick-Fil-A. Ah, the joys of living in the land of fried chicken

Good afternoon!

The thread teeters on the edge

Pejorative religious characterizations aren't not what Dining Buzz is about. More such, unfortunately, will get the thread sent to OMNI/PR.

Yes, CFA's Sunday closure is based on the owner family's religious convictions.

Noted, and further discussion of those convictions can take place elsewhere.

Civil and cordial discussions of the relative yumminess of their offerings, or the wish (or lack of it) that they might be open on Sundays in and of itself (outside of your evaluation of the merits of the reasons for the closure) are welcome.

Religious discussion per se is not.

Carry on.

cblaisd
Moderator, Dining Buzz

WHS.

Yes we do. In fact, I tend to think that is the best marketing job of all -- when you think about grabbing something and then remember that it's Sunday.

Hopefully they are not too wacko as they do many a great chicken sandwich and it is nice to see them opening the free standing locations the last number of years -- where when I was growing up 15-25 years ago you could only get the CFA fix by going to the mall.

Ohhh, I love CFA. IMHO it's the best national fast-food chain, not least because they use better ingredients. Lean chicken breast instead of just 'meat from somewhere on a chicken'. Peanut oil (trans-fat free btw!) instead of Crisco. Fresh-squeezed lemonade instead of nasty reconstituted stuff. And Tabasco sauce, too!

I think the sandwich is pretty good.

One thing that makes them stand out in my book is that they do an awesome job supporting public schools. The "eat mor chikin" cow comes to any school event they're asked to attend, and they are always there for fund raisers (free or "at cost" sandwiches for resale).

I don't want to push this into Omni P/R, but I am just curious what other restaurants or other stores don't open on Sunday (regardless of reason). The only one that comes to mind is the Franklin Covey stores. Anybody know of any others?

PP

There is a semi-large chain of appliance stores in the St. Louis area that is closed on Sundays. As the owner states in his TV commercials (with your typical St. Louis accent), "It's the Lard's day!"

I guess I should also add that many states still have "blue laws" in effect, which means certain businesses cannot be open on Sundays.

In Colorado, car dealerships are closed. It was only last year that liquor stores were (finally!) allowed to be opened on Sundays.

Not Sunday, but: long ago when I lived in L.A., there was a tire retailer named '4 Day Tire Store' - their business was built around having their stores open ten hours on Thursday through Sunday, and not being open on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

They claimed that these were the hours that most of their customers wanted to buy tires and have them installed - they also stated in their ads that this policy allowed them to operate the stores with a single work shift, reducing costs and allowing lower prices.