Chick-fil-A — Restaurant in Smyrna

This Chick Fil A manager Marcus called the police on me, a mom with two young kids in the car, for trying to get water in the drive through. I know this review probably won’t hold any weight or reach the owner or whoever needs to see it to hold this employee accountable for a horrific experience that left my kids asking questions, but I wanted to share it anyway. I ordered online and when I got to the window, Marcus (a taller Black man, darker skin, short locs) said they didn’t have my order. I told him it was just waters. He repeated that there was no order, but I let him know I confirmed with the guy at the first part of the drive thru line. Marcus immediately got sassy and rude. He said since I didn’t pay he could cancel my order. I told him I literally have water and thought they were free, but he said again he can simply cancel the order since I didn’t pay for anything. I explained I had two hot kids in the car and just needed the ice waters. He then said he could cancel the order or CALL THE POLICE! I’m like wow, well I can sit here until I get ice water. He said again did he want me to call the police. I said you can do what you’d like but I still need water for the girls. He said it would take too long, and at this point we’re going back and forth bc I’m like it can’t take that long (I know bc I grab a water at least once a week from here on my way home). He asked me how long did I think it took, like at this point I’m saying all this time I could have had my waters. He grabbed the store phone and I guess dialed 911. He said since I don’t want to leave, he will call someone to make me leave. I was trying to figure out how this escalated when I was doing something I do often. I always go and get CFA waters. Another man came over, he was an older gentleman and was wearing a white shirt. He asked what the issue was and I said this guy is calling the police but I needed waters. Marcus is actually grabbing my license plate to give to the police on the phone. As that’s happening, the other man hands me the waters and says let me get you out of here before they come. Simple. I called the store to complain and got a chance to speak to Marcus who claimed and lied that I refused to park in a spot for the order. I’m not understanding bc all we talked about was the pickup window not having my order and Marcus immediately was rude instead of seeking clarity. He also had someone in the background say “didn’t she refuse to go ahead?” And that person said yes. Marcus and the other guy were the only people I even spoke to outside of the first young guy at the initial order kiosk. I also had kids in the back who could recall exactly what happen and questioned why we were having police called on us when we did nothing wrong. Going with this lie, Marcus said it’s Chick fil a protocol to call the police on customers if they refuse to move. I had to remind him of our conversation and just told him I wanted to get notes in order to report it higher. And it’s funny how Marcus thought calling the police would somehow de-escalate our conversation at the window instead of simply providing the water I ordered; a person who was not a manager was able to help better than a manger? I’m concerned if this is a regular practice. Police should be reserved for when someone is threatening or you feel danger or other reasons outside of a mom trying to get her thirsty kids a drink at their neighborhood Chick Fil A. It was disgusting to be treated this way and Marcus...

Twas a dark & rainy nite in NearWest Atlanta

Uh oh...

That's a LONG Drive Through Line... I thought, "I'll be all grown up & practice my skills to load the CF-A App, rejoin, place an order, pay w 3 methods."

Well...this ole boy took AWHILE to sign up, place order... (HELLO...nowhere could I locate Add or Convert to Jumbo Combo) And when, did all this Calorie Counting Awareness come into play???

I couldn't perform secure two-step confirmation for my membership, I don't have my AOL Email on my phone.

Sis gave me two gift cards which I entered (huge scrape- off PIN revelation process). I added my Visa to make up la difference. Not possible. And now, cards then appeared to be $0 value... YES, I did re-enter multiple times.

My plan was I just wanted to wait in the lot for pick-up orders just beyond the lot for customer In-Dining which is temporarily unavailable, and finish listening to NPR's Rose Scott's report on our county's Covid standings. My App order would not finalize so I had No Order. By now, approx. 1,013 cars had exited the Drive-Through, so now I proceeded there. The polite window girl got handed my phone, 2 gift cards, and Visa. "I know there's no order you can see, but it will not complete." She tried, no Work-y.

Nooooo, not drive over to the other side...Ugh.

She came out the other side w umbrella n rain poncho.. Panicked, I pleaded, "Please, whatever you do, don't erase my order, I CANNOT RE-ENTER IT FOR Any REASON." WuAAhLL those SaWhaaaSes!!!

In she goes w her handwritten custom order of my App Order Out came two higher ups. He scrolled, asked, input-ted....

"Oh Sir, I see.... There's a 3--CENT difference between the 2 gift cards and your Visa." "No, can't pay cash " "Card minimum is $10" He smiled, perhaps w pity, "I'll get it worked out." He'll go far...he had the perfect thickness of a navy outerwear jacket for the evening's rain & drizzle (Oh, Ida, did you really have to)?

Yes, I got my food. I dunno...I wasn't the last one there...

ALL OF THE CREW WAS PLEASANT, POLITE, HELPFUL, NOT CONDESCENDING, PATIENT...they didn't sign up for Senior App Training. Who started all this App stuff anyway?

Food was great!

Yes, my Family was worried. (At Future Family Council): "Now, Who sent him out on his own with two registered gift cards???"

I 💕 you Chick-fil-A, so fling me...

My husband went to this location during work he works for the sanitation department they were stopping to get some lunch. Neither one of them knew (as well as I until I checked the website that the lobby was closed) they couldn’t get in the drive thru because they were in a big truck that wasn’t allowed in drive thrus so they parked near so they could just order their food and leave a white short man ash brown hair who was working I guess outside directing people or something stoped them Asked questions about payment method went inside 3 different times not once did he think to bring a tablet to put in there order he told them if they paid cash they’d have to go pay at the drive thru register (there was a line of cars so he would basically go skip everyone in the car just to pay or wait until the cashier thought it was his turn) than he proceeds to tell them that there is someone outside with a tablet taking orders they walked around the whole restaurant and no one was outside he still did not come out with a tablet and basically refused to take the order so they left upset for a company that’s strict on hospitality and makes their employees say my pleasure after everything I feel like there was no hospitality here one he could simply took the order took the cash and whenever the cashier had time to squeeze the order in took the payment and just handed them there food. There was no one outside and he still didn’t think oh sorry let me grab one and take your orders he just stood and stared at them or even simply went and grabbed the employee who was on the tablet to come grab the order real as a ex restaurant employee I could of came up with several different way to take there order considering the fact they were at work and the truck can not go thru drive thru come on it SCREAMS rude. They didn’t get his name but this was around 11:15ish it was a short white male with brownish blondish hair he was at the front door...