It is arduous to argue that Chick-fil-A, for no matter different information swirls across the firm, does not make a wonderful hen sandwich and supply excessive buyer satisfaction whereas doing so. The restaurant has ranked first in customer ratings for nine straight years. It did not turn into so well-liked so all of the sudden by chance, and the important thing to its success is its flagship hen sandwich. True, Popeye’s provided a worthy challenge, however what makes the Chick-fil-A hen sandwich stand out a lot is its simplicity — simply fried hen, a bun, and pickles.
Whereas the primary two components are self-explanatory, the pickles is perhaps the important thing to the corporate’s success, however do they actually style totally different from different quick meals pickles, or is it simply our creativeness? It seems it isn’t simply you. Chick-fil-A’s pickles are distinctive throughout the trade, and the explanation why is its supply — one explicit provider primarily based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that the corporate has been utilizing for fairly a very long time.
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Chick-Fil-A Solely Has One Supply For Pickles
Essentially the most profitable fast-food corporations have a tendency to concentrate to the little issues. That is why McDonald’s soda does taste better than different quick meals areas and why its ketchup is so unique. A lot of Chick-fil-A’s success might be traced to the same give attention to product specificity. Its hen is hand-cut hen breast, and it is type of fanatical in regards to the truth it incorporates no antibiotics, making a 2019 dedication to “No Antibiotics Ever.” The pickles are additionally an enormous a part of this — and never simply due to the fan concept that Chick-fil-A hen breasts are marinated in pickle juice earlier than being breaded and cooked.
Chick-fil-A’s pickles come from one supply and one supply solely: Bay Valley Meals of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is not fairly clear how lengthy the partnership has existed, however the two corporations appear to have been working collectively for fairly a while, as evidenced by the actual fact Chick-fil-A’s pickles have possessed a constant stage of high quality for many years. (That is additionally to not be confused with the similarly-named Bay Heart Meals, a Chick-fil-A subsidiary that produces the corporate’s lemon juice.)
However Why Are Its Pickles So Good?
It seems that the pickles Chick-fil-A will get from Bay Valley are somewhat totally different from commonplace pickles. The corporate selects cucumbers particularly for measurement and texture, in fact, however what actually makes the distinction is the brine. A particular mixture of vinegar, garlic, dill, and seasonings (we do not fairly know which of them, as this can be a commerce secret) creates a pickle that doesn’t style remotely like that of any of the corporate’s quick meals rivals, with simply the correct stage of acid to enhance somewhat than overpower its signature product.
The result’s a pickle that appears completely matched to the sandwich that makes use of it. Although there is no arduous proof confirming whether or not the pickle juice-marination concept is appropriate (the corporate will neither verify nor deny it), if it have been true, it will make much more sense as to why the flavors appear so harmonious. One factor is for positive: Bay Valley Meals makes a extremely good pickle.
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