Chick-Fil-A Employees Have Strong Feelings About Its New Table Markers

Chick-fil-A is known for its tasty grilled chicken sandwich and for their superior customer service, which is reflected both in its higher sales per unit compared to competitors (via Business Insider) and in its seven straight customer satisfaction award wins (via American Customer Satisfaction Index). Much of that stems from employees who really enjoy their job (via Foodable). However, that doesn't mean that employees are happy with everything at the chain, particularly when they change up something that perhaps didn't need to change.

The change in question has to do with table markers — formerly a rectangular container in a vibrant color — that customers are given to place on their table so an employee can deliver their food. This change prompted a CFA employee to ask on a Reddit post, "My store just got these new table markers. Thoughts?" The post included a photo of the new tent-shaped table marker in a muted shade of orange. And from the responses, fellow CFA employees had very strong feelings about the new table markers, most of which were rather negative.

While a few CFA employees on the Reddit post responded that they liked the new, clean design, others countered that the graphics on the markers looked dated, one going so far as to say that "the art/designs on them look like they were done by a three year old!!!" 

Some employees felt that the new table markers were "harder for a runner to pick out from a distance." What employees seemed to dislike the most was that the new markers could no longer be used to hold items, including sauces, straws, and sodas, though one employee noted several times on the thread that the "[t]hey're designed specifically so things can't be put in them."

This may end up being a non-issue, however, if the ongoing Delta surge of the COVID-19 pandemic forces more Chick-fil-A stores to announce the closure of their dining rooms. Even if dining rooms remain open, it's not clear whether some locations will revert to the safe service standards from May 2020, which dictated that trays and table markers were not to be used for dining in, and that meals should be served in to-go bags instead (via Chick-fil-A website).