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Some Chick-fil-A fans are voicing their disappointment after the chain announced a change to its iconic waffle fries recipe.
The fast-food giant recently updated its website to inform customers about “a slight adjustment” to the fries, to make them “stay crispier, longer.” The new recipe includes a coating with pea starch, which the company clarified “doesn’t contain any of the nine major allergens.”
However, the change hasn’t gone over well with some loyal customers.
Founder and CEO of clothing brand Nuuds, Daryl-Ann Denner, who frequents Chick-fil-A multiple times a week, criticized the update on her Instagram Stories, saying, “One of my New Year’s resolutions is to somehow convince @chickfila to return their fries back to normal.”
Denner described the new fries as “dry, grainy and have no flavor anymore,” adding, “You know I love you, Chick-fil-A. You can do no wrong, except this lol.”
She explained to Southern Living that she first noticed something was off in November.
“I eat Chick-fil-A at least a few times a week, and I would say by the middle of November I caught on to something being different with the fries,” Denner told Southern Living. “At first, I just thought I kept getting a bad batch. Then, I blamed it on the location being off, but when I visited another location with my mom, I asked her if she noticed that the fries were grainier than usual.”
However, after reading the chain’s online notice, she decided to stop ordering the fries altogether. “They used to be my favorite snack,” she said, “but my kids won’t even eat them now.”
Denner isn’t alone in her frustration.
Comments on a Chick-fil-A Instagram post from December 23 reveal widespread discontent.
“Please — whatever you have done to the fries, UNDO IT!! Please!” pleaded one user.
Others echoed similar sentiments, with one customer writing, “They don’t taste the same and I hate how hard they are,” while another commented, “I love soggy fries. Please, we are begging you.”
Parents of children with pea allergies are also raising concerns. Some have stated they can no longer dine at Chick-fil-A due to cross-contamination risks posed by the addition of pea starch.
“My daughter has an allergy to peas and pea protein. We can no longer visit the restaurant due to allergy concerns,” one parent shared.
“So many kiddos with peanut allergies also cannot eat peas!!” Another commented, “Unfortunately we won’t be able to eat there anymore now.”
Others are lamenting what they see as a decline in quality. “Had to throw out the last three orders of fries, couldn’t finish them. I kept thinking I got a bad batch, but now I know and won’t buy them again,” wrote one disappointed customer. Another asked, “Who at @chickfila decided to ‘fix’ what wasn’t broken?!?! Read the room, y’all.”
Some commenters suggested they would prefer paying more for the original fries than accepting the new version. “Raise prices if you have to, but don’t lower standards,” one person urged.
The Independent has contacted Chick-fil-A for comment.
