The Reason Mercedes-Benz Stadium Has A Chick-Fil-A

There are plenty of football fans out there who know that watching the Big Game just isn't quite the same without some crispy chicken and waffle fries. According to a USA Today poll, Chick-fil-A was America's favorite fast food restaurant in 2023, earning a whopping 85% satisfaction score that beat out all its competitors. Stats from Aeon revealed that football was the country's favorite sport during that same year, so it's no wonder that Chick-fil-A and football pair well together. Perhaps this is why one of the restaurant's locations is inside a football stadium.

If you ever find yourself at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC, then you may be able to get yourself some Chick-fil-A without missing a second of the game. This partnership likely came about because Atlanta, Georgia, where the stadium is based, is also where Chick-fil-A was founded. Still, most of the home games played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium take place on Sundays, and Sundays aren't just known for football — they're also the only day of the week when Chick-fil-A is closed. The restaurant chain has been open Monday through Saturday since 1967, and the minds behind the fast food giant didn't change this just to accommodate the stadium.

Since Atlanta is home not only to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium but also Chick-fil-A's headquarters, it seems natural that if the restaurant wanted to partner with a football stadium, this would be among its top choices. Of course, while the chain may be able to manage time off on Sundays at other locations, this likely proved to be a problem at a football stadium. The solution was to allow Chick-fil-A to take turns with another fast food option that would be open exclusively on Sundays. That option is Fries Up: a restaurant dedicated to loaded french fries.

Fries Up doesn't sell chicken, so folks who only enjoy football with a side of crispy chicken fingers will need to venture to one of the stadium's other restaurant options. But for many, some fancy french fries will certainly do the trick. If you're looking to enjoy the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and eat some Chick-fil-A, too, you can head to the stadium for a concert (or one of its other events) from Monday through Saturday.