The 'Repulsive' Chick-Fil-A Item Customers Want You To Avoid (It's Not Chicken Or Fries)

Chick-fil-A consistently has some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings, as well as an incredibly loyal customer base. It's built its reputation on chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, and famously great customer service. In short, there's nothing the Georgia-based chain can do wrong. But there is one item that doesn't get much love, and that's the coffee. In fact, there's a vocal group of coffee drinkers that considers Chick-fil-A's java one of the chain's biggest misses.

The criticism, as one would expect, is particularly strong online. In a Reddit discussion, one customer described a Chick-fil-A black iced coffee as "rotten," comparing it to spoiled milk. Other commenters called the coffee bad enough to be a running joke, while another straight-up stated: "I'm not a coffee snob, I'll drink just about anything ... but man CFA black coffee REALLY sucks."

So, what does Chick-fil-A coffee actually taste like? The chain describes its coffee as a specialty-grade, farmer-direct blend made from arabica beans that is specifically crafted to pair with its menu items. Starbucks itself only uses arabica beans for their superior flavor and fruitier taste.

But that lovely description doesn't match everyone's experience, as many customers online describe the coffee as bitter, burnt, or sour. Online discussions suggest that inconsistent preparation from one restaurant to another could also contribute to the wildly different customer experiences. One Redditor posited, "Their [iced] coffee is a concentrated mix with water. Maybe an employee got the portions wrong."

Of course, Chick-fil-A's iced and hot coffees are prepared in different ways. One employee on Reddit claimed: "The iced is made from this HORRIBLE pre-packaged liquid coffee base, while the hot coffee is actually brewed. Don't know how people like that bitter mess." Meanwhile, other customers complain on Reddit that the hot coffee tastes like it's been brewed with a cardboard filter. However you take your java, neither comes out on top with this chain. It should come as no surprise, then, that bad coffee is one of the biggest complaints customers have about Chick-fil-A.

Granted, it's the internet, which means there are always contrarian arguments. Some customers seem to like the iced coffee, albeit when it's been doctored up with plenty of cream and sugar. In a Facebook group for iced coffee lovers, one person noted: "I work at a CFA, it's not high quality cold brew, but they're still good. I like to add extra syrup, or mix original with vanilla." Another chimed in: "The coffee is a concentrate so it's not the best but mixed with ice cream is good!"

It seems that Chick-fil-A's coffee problems are a little bit all over the place. From the coffee-to-water ratio to the hot brewing process to the type of cold brew concentrate, it appears many factors can go wrong for customers hoping for a consistently good caffeinated drink. For coffee purists, that uncertainty might be enough to order your favorite chicken sandwich, then go elsewhere for a caffeine fix.