What Makes Chik-Fil-A So Good?

Before I hop into this, and you start to get the idea that it's just one big written commercial, it's not. I'm not being paid or influenced for this, Chik-Fil-A has no idea I'm writing this,  they have zero influence over what I'm about to say, and it's just my personal thoughts on what might be the best food in Lawton.

First, as little backstory...

My introduction to Chik-Fil-A came at a very early age. Honestly, I was nine or ten the first time I opened that little red box of deliciousness. My family lived in a small Mayberry of a town in Northern Oklahoma and my sisters orthodontist was based in Enid. That's another Northern Oklahoma military town. Every time mom took my sis to the doctor for a braces adjustment, she took me along with her since nobody would be around after school to look after me. As a treat, and because going to the big city was rare, we usually ended the day at the local mall there. Inside that mall was a Chik-Fil-A. My mom and sister loved it, I never gave it a chance and usually opted for the Sbarro crappy pizza. I always thought was super good. Understandable, kids are dumb right? As I grew older, mom stopped taking me with her since I was old enough to ride my bike home and look after myself. When they would walk in the door, she would always bring one of those CFA catering platters for dinner.

I don't know your upbringing, but in my house, if you didn't eat what was served for dinner, you didn't eat. I can remember eating that first nugget and thinking "I've been missing this chunk of awesome this whole time?" It was eye opening, and from that point on, CFA was a go-to meal that was always an easy "YES!" when anybody in the fam asked. Stillwater eventually got a stand-alone store, like ours on Cache Road, so Chik-Fil-A became a more regular thing for us... but as I moved around after college, I couldn't find it anywhere in South Texas. When I moved to Lawton, it quickly became a regular thing in the Kelso household and has ever since, but still, every time I bite into one of those little nuggets, it's just as good as that first ever bite... It has me wondering, how and why is it so good?

Now, before I say something stupid and completely "me" like 'maybe they put crack in their flour,' I think I know why that chicken is so good. Just before the Cache Road CFA reopened after receiving a much needed update to the building, Critter and I were invited down to get a look around. A sneak peek behind the curtain, and we were stunned by what we learned that day.

Did you know that everything on the menu is made in the restaurant kitchen? Unlike every other fast food joint in the world, nothing is pre-made or partially cooked. Every entree that comes out of that kitchen starts out as base raw ingredients. Like, everything, the chicken sandwiches, nuggets, and strips all start out as whole raw marinated chicken breasts. They have a station for cutting and prepping each of those menu items. Then, a team member breads each piece of raw meat and tosses it in a fryer. When they come out perfectly cooked, they box them, bag 'em, and send them out the window to you. You have any idea how many full-fledged sit down fast casual restaurants in town can't even say that? Nobody does food like CFA.

Having walked through the kitchen being told all of this from the awesome store owner, and after marinating in my mind for the past few months, I've come to this conclusion... Chik-Fil-A is always so good because you're always eating fresh food. Prepared from raw ingredients to finished meal as you order it. That's why it always tastes so dang good. I just regret I held out for so long as a child for trying what truly is the best restaurant food in America.