Why Fans Think Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwiches Aren't Always The Same Size

If there's one thing fast food customers love to share online, it's pointing out inconsistencies at the chains they regularly visit. (They also love sharing ordering hacks and unwritten rules.) Fans of Chick-fil-A are taking the complaint side to a whole new level — we're talking spreadsheets, photo comparisons, and food scales. Reddit users have doubled down on proving that the chicken sandwiches at Chick-fil-A are not always the exact same size, with some pointing to an ongoing shrinkflation issue. "Just went to our local store and got the collectors cup and a deluxe meal as norm but noticed the sandwich itself seemed about an ⅛ to a ¼ smaller particularly the size of the buns themselves which then translated to the chicken pattie," one Redditor noted.

Others point to inconsistencies that can make a customer feel shortchanged. On a Reddit thread showing three separate cooked chicken filets weighing at either 75 or 76 grams, one commenter jumped right in: "Chick-fil-A kitchen manager here. Our training tells us a chicken filet must weigh 3.3 ounces [(93 grams)] or more and the filet has to come out at 3 different points from the bread." A separate thread showed filets weighing between 78 and 85 grams. "You should talk to the restaurant about this tbh. I manage one and we'd be pretty upset at this too." Some employees also poked holes into the theory that smaller patties are intentional. "Been working at CFA for a while now and the standards have never changed. But it's really just up to how well-trained the person who makes your sandwich is — or how much they care," insisted one Redditor.

Several comments from self-proclaimed Chick-fil-A employees claim that standard checks are done to weigh filets throughout a shift, and that small-looking and underweight filets are discarded. However, there are no official resources online to back up who at Chick-fil-A is supposed to be weighing the filets and when. What we do know is that the filets arrive at the chain already prepped and ready to thaw. The filet station in the restaurant is where an employee flattens the raw filet by hand and readies it for frying. Because Chick-fil-A uses whole chicken breasts, there is bound to be small variances. On the chain's website, the company says: "Due in part to the handcrafted nature of our food, there may be variation in serving sizes and preparation techniques. Variations may also occur due to  product testing, supply sources, regional differences, and seasonal offerings."

According to multiple sources online that detail the Chick-fil-A farm-to-restaurant process, it's pretty streamlined. The farms raise the chickens to be 4 to 5 pounds to produce 4-ounce raw filets that are more tender than average. Factory Window reported (via YouTube) that "Chick-fil-A works with its suppliers to receive prepped chicken. The preparation process involves removing the skin, hand-filleting, deboning, and sizing the chicken filets for nuggets or sandwiches." This sounds to us like the chain is trying as hard as possible to offer a consistently-sized product — and if you're noticing your chicken sandwich is smaller than usual, just talk to your local Chick-fil-A manager. Who knows, maybe they'll replace it. The story behind the capital "A" is about quality, after all.