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Some people might think a chicken sandwich is just a chicken sandwich, those people obviously haven't eaten at a Chick-Fil-A. The reason they haven't eaten a Chick-Fil-A sandwich is simple, there just aren't enough here in LA.
Having lived next door to Chick-Fil-A during my brief stint in Orlando, I had the honor of enjoying the deliciousness of a piece of fried chicken on a bun with three pickles whenever I wanted. Ever since, every time I move I make it a habit of logging on to chick-fil-a.com and finding the closest location. Upon arriving in LA, I was disappointed to see that the closest Chick-Fil-A was a 25 minute drive away in Redondo Beach in the South Bay Galleria.
I made the mistake of first making the trip out to Redondo Beach on the last Saturday before Christmas. Yes, I was heading to a mall on the busiest shopping day of the year and not doing any Christmas shopping, I was there for the Chick-Fil-A. I sat in mall traffic, lapped the parking lot 37 times, walked passed the hoards people hustling for last minute sales to walk into the food court and say, "I'd like two Chick-FIl-A sandwiches please." Yes, two sandwiches, you've got to make the most of the trip.
Luckily, I didn't make the trip on a Sunday. Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays. Why are they closed on Sundays? Here's what their website tells us...
Admittedly, closing all of our restaurants every Sunday makes us a rarity in this day and age. But it's a little habit that has always served us well, so we're planning to stick with it. Our founder, Truett Cathy, wanted to ensure that every Chick-fil-A employee and restaurant operator had an opportunity to worship, spend time with family and friends or just plain rest from the work week. Made sense then, still makes sense now.
Every trip, however, we all think "Why the hell isn't there a Chick-Fil-A closer to us?" Just like "What's the meaning of life?" "Why do people find Carlos Mencia funny?" and "Why does that talking gecko have a British accent?" it remains an unsolved mystery.
We've sent in emails, filled out feedback forms and still have never been given the good news of "We're bringing Chick-Fil-A to LA." Its always a generic "Thanks for the feedback."
This past Saturday, I was in Irvine visiting a friend when I learned that there were not one, not two but three Chick-Fil-A's with another on the way in the city of Irvine.
If I said I wasn't jealous I'd be lying, and I don't like to lie unless you're a bill collector. Seeing the citizens of Irvine enjoy Chick-Fil-A whenever they wanted (except for Sundays) got me thinking, "What's Irvine got that LA doesn't have?" One thing Irvine definitely doesn't have, T-Mobile service, but that's got nothing to do with the price of waffle fries, just thought I'd throw that out there.
So why Irvine and not LA? Is it due to Chick-Fil-A's strict religious heritage? Is LA not banging its bible hard enough for the Chick-Fil-A folks? Tell us Chick-Fil-A. The people of LA want their chicken sandwich, waffle fries and sweet tea and we don't want to drive 25 minutes for it.
Photo by absentmindedprofvia flickr
