Working at the chain Chic-fil-A instills a certain love and hatred for chicken, for the frosted lemonades and a certain shade of maroon. These are things you will recognize if you have ever worked at Chic-fil-a.

1. You automatically respond with “my pleasure” every time you hear “thank you.”

It has actually become a common joke among your friends and a constant point of question among adults.

2. You know the panic behind the phrase “in the red."

Your heart has dropped when you see the screen completely cover in red as the timer slowly counts up the seconds.

3. "Cow appreciation day" is a regularly recurring nightmare.

All the cows. All the free food. All the customers.

4. You can fake small talk like nobody's business.

The window at the drive thru never closes, so you become a pro at talking to the guests when their food isn’t ready. You’ve heard countless stories about their children, drives home and searches for cat-friendly motels.

5. Closing becomes like a lottery.

You never know who will end up with the closing shifts, but sometimes you will do anything outside of selling an appendage to get out of those extra hours of deep cleaning.

6. You can rattle off the sauces and dressings like a boss.


Yes ma’am we have Chick-fil-A, Polynesian, Honey Mustard, Barbeque, Buffalo, and Ranch. And if you worked there for longer, you can probably do the hundreds of dressing.




7. Your break could be an episode of "Master Chef."


You’ve had the normal menu items countless times so you’ve started to experiment. Grilled Quesadillas? Barbecue Chicken? Fried pickles? It’s happened.

8. You know the excruciating pain of customers entering the store at 9:55.


You’ve never felt true rage until that customer comes in at the last moment. Bonus points if they make it through the door before you lock them at closing time.

9. The thought of “breading to order” makes you shudder.

You’re desperately trying to conserve time and energy for those last hours. You’ve tried to predict the last five orders on the screen. But without fail, someone will always order a sandwich the second after you run out of filets. The phrases “CSS,” “chic no pic” and “CFA DLX+AM” makes perfect sense

And you can make them flawlessly. You've spent hours with *those* certain dishes.

Whether it be the breading dishes, the strawberry milkshake guns or (heaven forbid) the nugget shifter, there are moments you seriously consider hiding it for dayshift to clean. Bonus points if you’ve finished dishes and cleaned out the sinks before finding mountains of dirty yellow trays shoved in multiple crevices.

10. Finishing the night covered in milkshakes/fryer oil.


You have to shower after work. It’s nonnegotiable unless you want to spend the rest of the day smelling like Jesus-loving chicken.

11. Suggestively selling food you’ve never tried.


You had that slight moment of excitement when a customer buys off your suggestion. It doesn’t matter if you’ve tried the Chicken Salad Sandwich or the Greek Yogurt. Other people have so it must be good.

12. Making a customer’s day brighter with a "my pleasure."




At the end of the day, despite all the struggles and frustrations, there’s always something great about having your smile returned and your efforts thanked. Chick-fil-A might be just a fast-food chain or a day job, but you love the people and the work. And hey, if all else fails, at least you have your Sundays.