Chick-fil-A — Restaurant in Walnut Creek

I reluctantly give this 2 star review, as I have had 2 very different experiences here. The first time we visited, my husband, babies and I entered to a very bustling restaurant but were able to quickly find a booth. A nice older woman spoke with us and our 4 year old daughter about her being a mom of 5. We learned that she also homeschooled her kids and she gave us some encouragement about the experience. The play place was closed, but that’s understandable. The second time here, I visited the drive thru. There wasn’t an abundance of ambient noise and we were too close for comfort, but the associate kept saying that he couldn’t understand me/my order. I repeated myself very clearly several times. That could have been a coincidence. However, the associate wasn’t friendly at all. Things might be going on in people’s lives and I get that, but there’s a job to do. A smile for a smile isn’t difficult. The window associate wasn’t as cold as the order taker, but wasn’t quite friendly either. Usually I have no problem with this, but he left off the very clear a at the end of my name. Just a small but important detail. As the younger people say, “the vibe” was just off. I never get this feeling from In and Out employees, though I am sure they have things going on in their personal lives as well. To round off my lack luster and disappointing fast food experience, the chicken strips were terrible, cold and soggy, with a high gristle to meat ratio. This is a chain and food quality should be consistent, but the Novato location by far beats the Concord location. I won’t spend our money here again. There are many other options. I was awaiting the results of my mammogram as I treated myself to some chicken strips. I was with my babies and texted my husband in tears to let him know that it was negative. So, I am abundantly grateful in life regardless. Still, again, reciprocating the kind vibe you receive doesn’t take an advanced degree or any effort at all. Money is green and a customer is a customer. Maybe they don’t want my “kind” there anyhow, but that’s just a suspicion and I won’t spend any more...

I love this specific Chick-fil-A location for a few reasons:

1. Gale is amazing and always there when you need anything
2. The children's play area is always very clean and keeps the kids entertained while I get a chance to eat in peace
3. They have high chairs (also very clean) available for kids
4. They always provide fast and friendly table service ( when you order to the table from the app), even when it's pretty busy

In particular, I was there last week. Gale greeted me at the door to hold it open since I had a sleeping infant and toddler in tow. I went inside and immediately sat in a booth so I could set down the car seat for my baby to sleep while I ordered. I ordered right from the table through the app and my food was brought out directly to the table within only a few minutes. I later went inside the playground area with my infant to play while my toddler was having a blast in the faux car and the big slide. I left my car seat, the extra sandwich to bring home for Dad, and our drinks on the table right in front of the playground ( could see through the glass). Well of course I got more involved in playing and stopped paying close attention to my table. When we went out and packed up, my sandwich was missing but drinks were still there. I asked Gale just to make sure it wasn't accidentally picked up thinking we had left despite the car seat in the booth. She confirmed no employees had picked it up and immediately took me over to the ordering area to get me a replacement sandwich. I know that ultimately it was my error for leaving the sandwich out where it could be snagged by a passerby but I was just so focused on the kids. Either way, Gale went to bat for me and got my sandwich replaced immediately. It felt wonderful knowing that the team at this restaurant supports families beyond just providing a great meal - they go the extra mile with keeping the indoor playground open and very clean, and give customer service to show you how truly valued you are as their customer....

Chic-Fil-A-minus! Not a bad thing at all. However being from Atlanta perhaps I have high standards for my favorite fast food chain. Let’s start with the food. Top notch. The chicken, the sweet tea, the breakfast biscuits, the lemonades, and my new favorite... the Frosted Key Lime. Yum-A! As for being kid-friendly and clean, no complaints. The staff is well trained with the finest of southern hospitality. My only real complaints is the lack of parking (there’s a place next door I’d really like to see torn down and replaced with more parking!) and what seems like a forever rotating roster of staff who despite doing their damn best 90% of the time doesn’t seem to know what’s going on the other 10% of the time. It’s often mass chaos. Super-friendly, wonderfully tasty slightly insane chaos. But they’re clearly doing something right given how massively popular it is. What can you do? Maybe open another chain nearby in Concord or Pleasant Hill? Lastly, this must be said. Despite some of the controversies over the years in terms of where the funding goes, the company has changed that policy publicly. And yet other media sources say otherwise. Look, I guarantee near almost every consumer good and service you support has people in positions of power who don’t support your views. But they have a reputation of serving and helping communities in times of need. Such as natural disasters when they give food away for free. Also, they advocate literacy in their kids’ meals. Big plus. And the chicken while not healthy per se is healthier than most other options out there. And you know what? It actually “tastes like chicken.” So, go... eat (mostly) guilt-free and get your fill...