I am from the South, so as you can imagine I have a genetic obligation to love fried foods, and I do a pretty awesome job of fulfilling that obligation. I love fried okra, fried green tomatoes, fried green beans, fried squash, and pretty much anything else you can figure out a way to stick in the deep fryer. But one of my favorites is the greatest of all fried foods - fried chicken. The best fried chicken can be found in home style restaurants, but some fast food restaurants have some pretty good fried chicken, and one of those is Chick-fil-A.
I am from Shelby, which is a pretty small town in North Carolina, and until a few years ago we didn't have many choices of fast food restaurants. We had an Arbys, McDonalds, Burger King, and Chick-fil-A. My family was never a big fan of any of these restaurants except Chick-fil-A; something about those chicken finger fry things from Burger King just freaked us out. At Chick-fil-A, I was always a nuggets girl; the package of 8 nuggets and the wonderful french fries were always my go to meal until I received one of their coupons for a free chicken sandwich with the purchase of something else. So one day I went to Chick-fil-A with my friends, purchased my traditional meal, and handed in my coupon to get my free sandwich. I had entirely too much food, but I was hungry, so I figured it would be a good day to try out the amazing chicken sandwich. It was wonderful. Something about the pickles and the toasted bun made it the best chicken sandwich I had ever had, and I have had some good ones.
Recently, Chick-fil-A came out with the Spicy Chicken Sandwich (they must have been feeling a little competition with Wendy's) which I of course had to try since the original chicken sandwich was so good. I tried it last week for the first time and just as I had expected - it was delicious.
Chick-fil-A has great food, but it also has wonderful, hospitable, welcoming, and kind employees. My dad has always said that the reason he chooses Chick-fil-A over other fast food restaurants is because of the employees. He also recently tried the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and loved it as much as I did. He tried it for different reasons though. I tried it because Chick-fil-A has upheld their reputation for me in serving delicious fried chicken. My dad tried it because one of the employees politely encouraged him to try their new delicious sandwich. My dad is kind of like me; he was a nuggets boy, and nothing was ever going to change that. He is also a business man and understands that it is important to try different options that someone presents to you. So when he was so politely asked if he had tried the sandwich or wanted to try it, he said yes.
Chick-fil-A has great marketing tactics. They appealed to both me and my dad and we have both become loyal customers. They have upheld their reputation of serving delicious food, and I am always welcomed by their employees with a "Hi! My name is so and so, and I would be delighted to serve you today. How can I help you?" They also utilized coupons by giving me the free chicken sandwich when I purchased something else which is always a great way to get consumers to try different products and keep coming back for more. They also have great commercials with the cows that distinguish them from other fast food restaurants. They are primarily a chicken selling restaurant, and the commercials deliver that message effectively and in a humorous way. Chick-fil-A has it together in my opinion; they have great food with great service, and it is relatively healthy fried food.
But you really should try the spicy chicken sandwich if you haven't had a chance to; it's great! And I hear there is talk of a spicy chicken biscuit coming soon for breakfast, so I can't wait to try that!
- Anne Davis
I completely agree with you about the employees! I have had nothing but good experiences. I interned in Winston this summer and went several times to their location on Stratford Road. Some of the employees would go from car to car in the drive thru line with menu's to take orders in advance so people could get their food faster and be on their way. Products are obviously important, but at the end of the day, the employees are who make up the organization and should never be overlooked.
ReplyDelete-Dan Pogoda
My junior and senior years of high school I had a one hour “travel period” that I used for a lunch break. Since it didn’t take me one hour to get from my morning classes to my afternoon classes, I would often stop by my house to eat, but on special occasions (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) I would go out to lunch with my carpool buddy. The drive home was a straight shot down one road, with many options along the way. Regular stops included Chick-fil-a, Bagel Station, Panera, and Qdoba. Being the gentleman he was, my carpool buddy would always ask me where I wanted to eat and without hesitation, I would pick Bagel Station. After all, I love me some bacon, egg, and cheese, bagels. However, when presented with the 4 choices, my life got a little more complicated because I realized I equally loved me some chicken sandwiches, broccoli-cheddar soup, and steak taco salads. For some reason I could always recall Bagel Station from the top of my mind, but would have to be prompted with options in order to recognize other options. Maybe it had a little something to do with Bagel Station’s banging chocolate chip cookies. -Sarah Shelness
ReplyDeleteDepending on a consumer’s perception of Chick-fil-A, a visit to the quick-service restaurant could lead to several different types of conflict. For Anne who loves the 8-piece nuggets, chicken sandwich, and spicy chicken sandwich, a trip to Chick-fil-A results in an approach-approach conflict. She must choose between two (or more) desirable alternatives for her meal. She would be happy with the nuggets, chicken sandwich, or spicy chicken sandwich. For me, a trip to Chick-fil-A would result in an approach-avoidance conflict. While I often get cravings for fried chicken nuggets, I have become increasingly health-conscious recently and would acknowledge the negative health consequences that would result from eating at Chick-fil-A. Often when my friends want to eat fast food, I must decide between the mouth-watering food and the detrimental health effects. On the other hand, a trip to Chick-fil-A for my mother would result in an avoidance-avoidance conflict. She hates fast-food and would never let us eat it growing up. During long car rides on vacation, however, fast food was the only choice for a meal during the trip. If Chick-fil-A was the only restaurant option for miles, she would have to choose to either starve for a few more hours or eat fast food, both of which are undesirable. Even if she reluctantly chose to eat at Chick-fil-A, she would again be faced with two or more unappealing options: chicken nuggets or chicken sandwich. Thus, each person’s perception and involvement with Chick-fil-A, or any other product or company for that matter, can result in drastically different opinions and decisions.
ReplyDelete-Jacqueline Buff
I am from New Jersey so until I came to school I had never had Cick-fil-A. I must admit that I’m not a huge fast food fan and so was hesitant to try it at all however after some coaxing from a southern girl on my hall I tried it. Not only am I now a loyal fan of Chick-fil-A but I also dread not being able to get it when I go home for breaks. It doesn’t feel like fast food when I’m eating it or interacting with the employees and that I think is due to Chick-fil-A’s great positioning in the industry. I also agree with your assessment of the employee morale. I am reminded of that video we watched in class with that guy Chip and how motivating employees really does increase productivity and worrying about their needs help increase customer satisfaction. The customer not only gets their lower level needs met because they are hungry but they also get emotional needs met by feeling good about their interactions with the employees. It doesn’t hurt that their branding with the Cows is hilarious. - Emily Kieczykowski
ReplyDeleteAnne, I really enjoyed your post. I’m a lover of fried chicken, as well, but I’m from the north. I decided to think about your post in terms of a perceptual map. It seems that Chick-fil-A has decided to target its customers by going in the opposite direction of their mainstream competitors in terms of environment, employee-to-customer relations, and food quality. These competitors would mainly be the McDonalds and Burger Kings of your home town. I believe that your perceptual map goes as such:
ReplyDeleteMcDonalds, Burger King and similar fast food establishments:
• Sketchy atmosphere; not inviting
• Employees do not exude a sense of satisfaction in serving the customer
• Food quality sub-par; does not seem authentic/natural
• Commercials are not engaging or memorable
• Do not offer food selection that is meaningful to geographic location
Based upon your beliefs, it seems like this would be a very likely perceptual map that Chick-fil-A would receive from respondents. They do indeed have an inviting atmosphere with enjoyable servers and I also believe that their food appears to be much more appetizing in appearance and taste than their competitors.
That last post about Perceptual map was by me-Parker Schweer
ReplyDeleteChick-fil-A has successfully converted Anne into active loyalist by their creating an excellent overall customer experience. In the customer’s decision making process, they weigh their options and choose Chick-fil-A mainly for their deliciously fried chicken, but also for the pleasant experience and hilarious marketing tactics. In Anne’s case, she loves fried chicken and luckily for her, Winston-Salem is home to what seems like a dozen fast food fried chicken establishments. Yet Anne returns to Chick-fil-A because of her post-purchase experience. She thoroughly enjoyed her sandwich and her interaction with the workers. This positive experience sends her through McKinsey’s fast track loyalty loop, bypassing Bojangles and KFC, both good alternatives for fried chicken. As an active loyalist, Anne spreads positive emotion about Chick-fil-A which results in free consumer driven marketing. Chick-fil-A recognizes that active loyalists are the most important type of consumer, and focuses energies on pleasing customers throughout their whole food buying experience.
ReplyDelete- Shane Popham
This post shows great insight as to how Chick-fil-a positions itself within the competitive industry of fast-food restaurants. With clever marketing campaigns such as the “Eat More Chikin” billboards and simply the company name, Chick-fil-a is a fast food restaurant known for its chicken. Not only does the company compete with other chicken chains such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Bojangles, but it also competes with the fast food giants such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King which also offer chicken options. Though industry competition is overwhelming, Chick-fil-a has a unique way of positioning itself. The chain is known for its friendly workers. Never have I seen more smiling faces in one restaurant at one time than in a Chick-fil-a. The employees’ warm, friendly vibes disprove the stereotypes of the fast-food industry. They care for each other and for their customers, and this is shown with the ridiculously clean settings and the bubbly personalities. Values are also of the utmost importance to the restaurant chain. Just the fact that they are closed on Sundays for religious reasons is highly respectable, as they are still able to compete in such a dog-eat-dog industry. Because of the numerous competitors in its industry, Chick-fil-a does not and cannot only rely on its tasty chicken to bring in revenue. Instead, the company also fosters notable employee morale and creates respectable values that draw in the consumer who is looking for something more out of a fast-food chain.
ReplyDelete-Emily Langsenkamp