Brookfield’s most anticipated fast food restaurant of 2014 has arrived. Chick-fil-A, the nationwide chain spread far and wide across the south, is well-known for serving chicken sandwiches. Ever since 2003, every new Chick-fil-A restaurant gives its first 100 customers free food for a year, and the store in Brookfield proved to be no exception. People were spotted from Capitol Road in tents camping out more than a day before the grand opening.

On opening day, the lines were extremely long, and they still are. Thankfully, there was an efficient system in place so that we only had to wait a couple minutes before being served. After hearing about the much vaunted sandwiches, ordering the spicy chicken sandwich through drive-thru was a bit disappointing. It came wrapped in a white paper bag lined with tin foil on the inside, causing condensation to appear on the entire surface of the sandwich. Additionally, the bun was flat and looked unappealing. Although the chicken itself was prepared well, my first Chick-fil-A experience was a no-go.

After hearing about so many positive experiences over the next couple weeks, I decided to give it another try. This time, we ordered a deluxe grilled chicken sandwich, chicken nuggets, waffle fries, a milkshake, and all the dipping sauces. The difference between a deluxe and a regular sandwich is that the deluxe includes tomatoes, lettuce, and pepper jack cheese.

I’m glad I went again, because the second time dine-in was a much improved experience. The grilled sandwich immediately surprised both of us, because the chicken was more flavorful than either of us had expected. We were both impressed. We tested all the sauces Chick-fil-A offers with the chicken nuggets and waffle fries. The chicken nuggets are composed of high quality chicken and are not overloaded with bread and seasoning. They are expertly made to have a mouth-watering taste and are perfectly sized for a single bite. You can dip them into any of the six sauces that Chick-fil-A offers: Chick-fil-A, Ranch, Polynesian, Honey Mustard, BBQ, and Buffalo. Our favorite sauce was the Chick-fil-A sauce, which goes well with everything. It could even make school fries exciting. The sauce is a blend of their honey mustard, BBQ, and ranch sauces.

One of my new favorites is the milkshake. We got the cookies and cream flavor, and we strongly recommend it. The small size felt like it would be a medium at any other restaurant, and it still left enough space in my stomach to sample many other items on the menu. Unlike some milkshakes, we could not tell there was ice mixed in, which is a good thing.

The Chick-fil-A has a playpen section, which gives the restaurant a childish McDonald’s atmosphere. The last thing a customer wants is to watch kids jumping around while they try to enjoy their spicy chicken sandwich. The main competition for Chick-Fil-A is fast food chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s. To compete, Chick-fil-A offers quality meals for a reasonable price, but they elect not to have a value menu, likely trying to avoid the infamous “pink slime” tag thrown on many fast food chains.

Overall, Chick-fil-A is a very affordable food joint with a variety of delicious meals. Their specialties are definitely their deluxe chicken sandwiches and their signature Chick-fil-A sauce. It may seem like a fast food place, but the food they serve certainly transcends that label. Chick-fil-A is a fast food place that will not disappoint.
Overall 3/4