Come back to me, Chick-Fil-A

Come back to Columbia, Chick-Fil-A.

Come back to me.

I have a rule about not talking about my employer on this blog, but when the University of Missouri decided that Chick-Fil-A would not be part of its plans for the new student union, I was crushed.

Forlorn.

The only Chick-Fil-A in town was going away.


I'm from Birmingham. Chick-Fil-A has been in Birmingham for as long as I can remember. I ate Chick-Fil-A in Brookwood Mall all the time as a kid when I'd go there with my mom. Free to leave campus as a junior and senior in high school, my friends and I would regularly head over to the mall to see what response we could provoke from cashiers by ordering a "chicky sandwy."

For some reason my dad and aunt always insisted on referring to Chick-Fil-A as Chick-A-Fil. I don't know why. My dad and aunt were intelligent people, and neither was dyslexic, so I have to believe they understood that Fil-A meant "filet." Perhaps it was once some kind of joke that stuck. But they are both gone now, so the reason behind "Chick-A-Fil" will forever remain a mystery.

Chick-Fil-A is home.

I don't love you only for nostalgic reasons, Chick-Fil-A. I love your food. Well, specifically, I love your chicken. I've never had a salad. The waffle fries are okay. But the chicken is glorious. Even the grilled chicken is seasoned in a special way I've never been able to satisfactorily duplicate at home. But while I love the original sandwiches (the chicky sandwys), your very best items are the chicken nuggets: lightly battered, perfectly seasoned, and otherwise unadorned. Never with dipping sauce; I would never defile them in that way. Dipping sauce is for lesser product.

And even though I've been disappointed more than a few times by forgetting that you're always closed on Sunday because of some Jesus deal, that's okay. I forgive you. I'm a tolerant person. It's more than worth being without you for one day of the week if I can have you for the other six. It would even be okay with me if you were closed on Saturday too to honor the Jewish and Muslim Sabbaths. Well, no, that wouldn't be okay. Just one Sabbath. But I don't care which.

You even sponsor a football game. How cool is that? KFC doesn't have a football game. Church's doesn't have a football game. Popeye's doesn't have a football game.

Come back to me, Chick-A-Fil.

May I call you Chick-A-Fil?

I miss you.