Students, staff share thoughts on new Chick-Fil-A

At the start of this school year, students walking into the Student Union Building could not miss the brand new, full service Chick-fil-A in the corner of the food court area. Now that the year is in full swing, staff and students have had time to adjust to the new restaurant and the changes it has brought to the SUB.

Jon Mark Bernal, the associate managing director of the Student Union Building, said students liked the older Chick-Fil-A in the SUB, but problems would arise about the hours and the menu variety.

The older location was included in the food-court area, which closed at 5 p.m. weekdays. Now that the Chick-Fil-A is isolated by itself, they are able to hold their own hours. It is open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. However, Bernal said Hospitality Services is willing to adjust their hours on Saturdays for football home games.

“It’s all about the needs of the campus and our guests that are coming into the building,” Bernal said.

Part of the reason for needing a full-service Chick-Fil-A, Bernal said, was students wanting the extended menu, especially breakfast items. When the station was occupied in the food court, the kitchen only allowed Chick-Fil-A to make limited food from their menu. Now that the chain does not share the kitchen, it has its own area to make any menu item a customer may request.

Kirk Rodriguez, the managing director of Hospitality Services, said the other location was tough to operate because it had such a long line and would block the other lanes in the food court.

“You may have to wait in line a little bit longer than the other one to get what you want,” Rodriguez said, “but now you can order it the way that you want it.”

During average peak hours, Rodriguez said it usually takes around 10-12 minutes to get through the line, and then an additional 2-3 minutes to receive the food after ordering.

With Chick-Fil-A bringing in over 50 percent of the overall traffic, Rodriguez said the chain makes students happy and that is what they always look for.

“Almost every decision that we make is a decision that is centered with input from students,” Rodriguez said.

One of the only reasons students may prefer the older location, he said, is because it was an Express lane, with limited menu items but a slightly faster line.

Sarah Babson, a junior mechanical engineering major from Houston, said there are different aspects she likes about each location.

The Express lane, she said, was more of a grab-and-go location, which was perfect for when she was in a rush, and she always got the same food item anyway. With the Express lane being simpler, she said she wishes there was a separate section now for the popular orders, such as sandwiches and nuggets.

Another problem students have seen is the amount of seating – or lack thereof.

The new location placed in the SUB, was originally an extended seating area. Bernal said they were mindful seating would be taken out to give the requested full-service Chick-Fil-A. When considering that, they completely renovated the third-floor area.

The area previously filled student organization cubicles. Now housed on the third floor is a common space where students can go to socialize, study and eat. Tables and chairs are all moveable to give the building the fullest potential of space, Bernal said. Seating is also available on the west side of the building and in the courtyard.

Although students may have liked the additional seating in the food court, Bernal said the area was too dark and not inviting. Through the new Chick-Fil-A, he said they have seen an increase in just the amount of people who move towards that side of the building now.

With a BBQ lane taking the position of the old Chick-Fil-A, Bernal said they would ultimately like to bring more name-brand food concepts to the SUB.

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