Chickfila "reopening guide"

[bryceleinan]

Chickfila in Rancho Cordova, CA on Sunrise has its front counter inside open for to-go orders. They don't have any designated "curbside" parking spaces out front but they do offer curbside as well. When I commented on it being open inside I was told it was their operator's decision to have the inside open and they have been open all along inside.

This appears to be the only Chickfila for hundreds of miles that continues to allow its inside to be open for to-go orders.

Dine-in was not allowed in any form.

Carson City just opened their building for take-out orders, and as a result, there is a definite decrease in curbside - the drive-thru lines seem to be the same. I'm guessing May 1st will be the next major milestone when individual counties start running the show.

[storewanderer]

[quote=bryceleinan post_id=29386 time=1616898859 user_id=2979
Carson City just opened their building for take-out orders, and as a result, there is a definite decrease in curbside - the drive-thru lines seem to be the same. I'm guessing May 1st will be the next major milestone when individual counties start running the show.
[/quote]

I don't really know- Carson City lets you walk in and order. The sign on the door says max 3 people inside at once. Nobody was there so I went in and ordered and was then told to wait outside. Maybe I look like a bum or something. It was a nice day... fine. But as I was waiting outside, something about being told to wait outside, just seemed a bit off to me. I asked for sauce with my order and it was rung up on the receipt to say 2 packets of sauce. They brought the bag out with my meal and it had in it one napkin and one sauce. I didn't notice so I asked for more napkins, they had to go back in and get those. I was given two more napkins. I then checked the bag and saw only one sauce, so I asked for additional sauce. I was brought out one more sauce. Wasn't real happy with the having to wait outside thing or the stingy napkin and sauce situation. Other Chickfilas ask how many packets of sauce you want. To only give one sauce for two items (and one napkin) is a joke. The food was good, actually a much larger, better breaded, and crispier chicken patty than Reno (the worst location in the area in terms of putting out a small not so flavorful and barely breaded chicken patty) puts out and a little better than Sparks even, so it redeemed itself with the food and I'll go back again but they really need to re-evaluate being so stingy with napkins and sauce with a policy where you cannot easily approach the counter and ask for more. I was actually considering going back in and asking to speak with management to voice my concerns, but decided to just move on.

Also the dining area was closed and blocked off and the lights mostly dimmed. In general it just felt sort of surreal inside this place. Depressing. The El Pollo Loco locations around the area are fully reopened for dine in and look normal, the main Wendys franchisee in Reno and Sparks reopened his locations for dine in again (Carson is a different franchise) finally a couple weeks ago and it looks fairly normal in there. I've been into a couple Jack in the Box locations in the past 2-3 months with inside open for dine in again and those seem fairly normal inside as well.

Really different experience than that Chickfila in Rancho Cordova where you could at least wait inside for your order and while dine in was blocked off it didn't appear dark or depressing.

As I was leaving, some van full of high school aged teens pulled up and I watched as they filed toward and into the building, about 15 of them. I wonder how that transaction inside was handled. Glad I moved on.

[Alpha8472]

The waiting outside thing sounds really overboard at first, but it is due to COVID-19 cases. My sister's co-worker at Kaiser Permanente calls up people to inform them of positive test results. The infection rates are so high at fast food restaurants that they tell customers to wait outside. Many fast food workers who test positive insist on going back to work knowing that they are positive. There is widespread ignorance. People say the virus is a hoax and keep right on working without informing their coworkers.

At other fast food places they are losing workers left and right. Many of them quit because they test positive. Management at some restaurants tells employees to makes customers wait outside. With that many people coming and going all day, the risk of catching COVID is quite high.

I work in a pharmacy, and I have had customers tell me that their spouses have COVID and still come into the store and shop when they should be in quarantine. People refuse to believe the virus is real. I keep having to warn other pharmacy customers to stand back 6 feet for customer "privacy." I would like to shout out, "This customer is defying quarantine." However, that would be a violation of privacy policies. You can't call the police and have them dragged out of the store. Many of my coworkers have caught COVID.

[storewanderer]

I have noticed in these fast foods the employees are stuck working very close together due to the configuration of the work spaces. It seems like they need to be a little more mindful of distancing each other better.

Not sure what to say about customers who don't do the distancing thing. I notice it more and more too. Have thought about going around with a cart as a barricade or something. But then you have to touch a cart...

[veteran+]

I have noticed in these fast foods the employees are stuck working very close together due to the configuration of the work spaces. It seems like they need to be a little more mindful of distancing each other better.

Not sure what to say about customers who don't do the distancing thing. I notice it more and more too. Have thought about going around with a cart as a barricade or something. But then you have to touch a cart...

So glad I do not have to worry about that.

Don't do fast food any longer and do not eat meat.

[bryceleinan]

[quote=bryceleinan post_id=29386 time=1616898859 user_id=2979
Carson City just opened their building for take-out orders, and as a result, there is a definite decrease in curbside - the drive-thru lines seem to be the same. I'm guessing May 1st will be the next major milestone when individual counties start running the show.

I don't really know- Carson City lets you walk in and order. The sign on the door says max 3 people inside at once. Nobody was there so I went in and ordered and was then told to wait outside. Maybe I look like a bum or something. It was a nice day... fine. But as I was waiting outside, something about being told to wait outside, just seemed a bit off to me. I asked for sauce with my order and it was rung up on the receipt to say 2 packets of sauce. They brought the bag out with my meal and it had in it one napkin and one sauce. I didn't notice so I asked for more napkins, they had to go back in and get those. I was given two more napkins. I then checked the bag and saw only one sauce, so I asked for additional sauce. I was brought out one more sauce. Wasn't real happy with the having to wait outside thing or the stingy napkin and sauce situation. Other Chickfilas ask how many packets of sauce you want. To only give one sauce for two items (and one napkin) is a joke. The food was good, actually a much larger, better breaded, and crispier chicken patty than Reno (the worst location in the area in terms of putting out a small not so flavorful and barely breaded chicken patty) puts out and a little better than Sparks even, so it redeemed itself with the food and I'll go back again but they really need to re-evaluate being so stingy with napkins and sauce with a policy where you cannot easily approach the counter and ask for more. I was actually considering going back in and asking to speak with management to voice my concerns, but decided to just move on.

Also the dining area was closed and blocked off and the lights mostly dimmed. In general it just felt sort of surreal inside this place. Depressing. The El Pollo Loco locations around the area are fully reopened for dine in and look normal, the main Wendys franchisee in Reno and Sparks reopened his locations for dine in again (Carson is a different franchise) finally a couple weeks ago and it looks fairly normal in there. I've been into a couple Jack in the Box locations in the past 2-3 months with inside open for dine in again and those seem fairly normal inside as well.

Really different experience than that Chickfila in Rancho Cordova where you could at least wait inside for your order and while dine in was blocked off it didn't appear dark or depressing.

As I was leaving, some van full of high school aged teens pulled up and I watched as they filed toward and into the building, about 15 of them. I wonder how that transaction inside was handled. Glad I moved on.
[/quote]

I went into Carson City today and their dining room is open - a few tables were blocked off and the play area is still blocked off. People were eating in there, and it did make a difference for the pickup and drive-thru lines.

[storewanderer]

I went into Carson City today and their dining room is open - a few tables were blocked off and the play area is still blocked off. People were eating in there, and it did make a difference for the pickup and drive-thru lines.

That is great progress. These McDonalds locations around Reno that continue to be drive through only and frequently closing early, are really looking weak at this point.

Also was going to go to Popeyes at S. Virginia/Moana. It was closed inside for orders but you could walk in to pick up an online order per a big plastic sign. Overflowing trash can outside and trash strewn all over the lot. Absolulte pigsty. Entry doors filthy. I just left. Went to the Popeyes at McCarran/I-80 instead. Inside was open there, employee was great, very clean, I was the only customer inside during the 25 minute or so duration I was present.

[veteran+]

[quote=bryceleinan post_id=29386 time=1616898859 user_id=2979
Carson City just opened their building for take-out orders, and as a result, there is a definite decrease in curbside - the drive-thru lines seem to be the same. I'm guessing May 1st will be the next major milestone when individual counties start running the show.

I don't really know- Carson City lets you walk in and order. The sign on the door says max 3 people inside at once. Nobody was there so I went in and ordered and was then told to wait outside. Maybe I look like a bum or something. It was a nice day... fine. But as I was waiting outside, something about being told to wait outside, just seemed a bit off to me. I asked for sauce with my order and it was rung up on the receipt to say 2 packets of sauce. They brought the bag out with my meal and it had in it one napkin and one sauce. I didn't notice so I asked for more napkins, they had to go back in and get those. I was given two more napkins. I then checked the bag and saw only one sauce, so I asked for additional sauce. I was brought out one more sauce. Wasn't real happy with the having to wait outside thing or the stingy napkin and sauce situation. Other Chickfilas ask how many packets of sauce you want. To only give one sauce for two items (and one napkin) is a joke. The food was good, actually a much larger, better breaded, and crispier chicken patty than Reno (the worst location in the area in terms of putting out a small not so flavorful and barely breaded chicken patty) puts out and a little better than Sparks even, so it redeemed itself with the food and I'll go back again but they really need to re-evaluate being so stingy with napkins and sauce with a policy where you cannot easily approach the counter and ask for more. I was actually considering going back in and asking to speak with management to voice my concerns, but decided to just move on.

Also the dining area was closed and blocked off and the lights mostly dimmed. In general it just felt sort of surreal inside this place. Depressing. The El Pollo Loco locations around the area are fully reopened for dine in and look normal, the main Wendys franchisee in Reno and Sparks reopened his locations for dine in again (Carson is a different franchise) finally a couple weeks ago and it looks fairly normal in there. I've been into a couple Jack in the Box locations in the past 2-3 months with inside open for dine in again and those seem fairly normal inside as well.

Really different experience than that Chickfila in Rancho Cordova where you could at least wait inside for your order and while dine in was blocked off it didn't appear dark or depressing.

As I was leaving, some van full of high school aged teens pulled up and I watched as they filed toward and into the building, about 15 of them. I wonder how that transaction inside was handled. Glad I moved on.

I went into Carson City today and their dining room is open - a few tables were blocked off and the play area is still blocked off. People were eating in there, and it did make a difference for the pickup and drive-thru lines.
[/quote]



Wow!

Seriously?

[bryceleinan]

Wow!

Seriously?

Seriously. As @storewander can attest to, most of Northern Nevada has reopened at 100%, Washoe County (Reno/Sparks) being the exception. My mom and I wandered into Carson City for breakfast this morning, and places were packed. We opted for outdoor dining at Mom & Pops, but they were full inside, as was Squeeze In. Chick isn't going to pack them in like that, at least not yet anyway.

[pseudo3d]

I'm not sure what the status of my local Chick-fil-A stores are...masks are no longer required by law, but some stores still ask that you wear them and most employees still do (especially if they're part of a national chain). I do remember that even when businesses could reopen parts of their store to partial capacity, Chick-fil-A never did as it was more profitable for the local franchise owner to just keep them closed and do drive-through and curbside only.

As I typically work on a night schedule now, I'm more interested in what Whataburger does, as their stores are open 24 hours but the store I frequent used to have in-store dining 24 hours prior to COVID, and that might mean faster service when it's 4am, everything else is closed, and there's a massive line at the drive-through.