Chick-fil-A records first semester on campus, students share perspectives

Since its opening on Sept. 7, Chick-fil-A in the Morrison Commons has seen a swath of students, faculty, staff and Sioux Falls diners. 

Spectators can typically see the lunch and dinner rush lines for dining services’ newest option leaving the dining space — and walking from class to class, it’s unlikely to not see someone eating a Chick-fil-A meal. 

Shannan Nelson, executive chief financial officer, said in an email to the Augustana Mirror that Chick-fil-A is exceeding its financial goals so far.

“The successes have centered around the interest from students in providing alternative/retail dining options on campus,” Nelson wrote. “Another success is centered around recruiting prospective students. Prospective students are very excited when they see a CFA on their campus tour(s).”

Nelson did not respond to email requests for further comment on the restaurant’s performance. 

President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin said Chick-fil-A’s finances looked great the last time she and Nelson discussed them.

“The reports [say] early on the level of sales was exceeding financial projections,” Herseth Sandlin said. “Financial projections have been sound, and the financial performance as it relates to students’ interest in [Chick-fil-A] certainly is revealing itself to be favorable to revenues for the university.”

Herseth Sandlin said prospective students in the region, per the admissions team, have a greater chance of attending an institution with newer retail dining options. 

Sharri Ambrose, supervisor at Chick-fil-A, said she believes herself and fellow staff have done a great job serving customers.

“Chick-fil-A holds itself above other restaurants,” Ambrose said. “We want people to come back for the customer service. We make sure they have absolutely everything they need for their meal when they leave the counter. [Customers] get the utmost respect when coming into Chick-fil-A.”

Ambrose said she has even made some great relationships with repeat customers.

“We have students who come not only for lunch but come back for dinner,” Ambrose said. “We’ve gotten to get to know a lot of them, which, for me, I’m a people person. If I don’t see someone for a while, I know something is wrong and I’ll ask about them, and they’ll do the same with us also.”

Aeson Akins, junior biology major, said he’s ambiguous about Chick-fil-A at this point. He said it’s “enjoyable but not special.”

“Chick-fil-A is no longer the treat it used to be but is simply another meal option since the novelty has worn off,” Akins said. “I will say the service has pleasantly surprised me. The Chick-fil-A staff is cheerier than the dining hall staff.”

But among the enjoyment of the food and the service of the fast-food addiction, Chick-fil-A’s history has caused controversy. 

Amina Koch, a sophomore English and Spanish double major, said Chick-fil-A’s anti-LGBTQ+ agenda — whether if in the past or present — does not align with Augustana’s core values, and the restaurant’s food is not inclusive to vegetarian or vegan diets, customers with peanut allergies or diets following religious tradition, like students who require halal meals.

“I acknowledge the fact that Chick-fil-A has publicly stated that the company is no longer donating to anti-gay rights groups, but that does not prevent the owners from donating things personally,” Koch said.

Overall, Koch said she is disappointed with Augustana’s choice to support Chick-fil-A.

“You hear about Augie being this very progressive and open-minded space, and yet, there are still a lot of people that are not aware of the issues or are willfully going to ignore where all this money is going,” Koch said.

Some students have enjoyed having another dining option on campus. 

Sophomore Bryant Petska, an exercise science major, said he thinks Chick-fil-A has been a good addition to campus.

“The food generally tastes good, and having the option to use meal swipes is amazing,” Petska said.

However, even though he doesn’t mind waiting, Petska said service can take a while.

Nelson, Ambrose and Herseth Sandlin all said staffing has been a point of difficulty.

“I think there might have been a different recommended staffing level versus necessary staffing levels in light of maybe our schedule to what other [colleges] that have Chick-fil-A on their campuses recommend as compared to when you first launch it,” Herseth Sandlin said. “We’ve had to make a few staffing adjustments.” 

To counteract, Chick-fil-A staff has had to prepare for rushes, primarily around lunch and dinner times. Ambrose said the process of preparing goes further than just the line cooks.

“We try to look at the school calendar to see what games or events are happening on campus,” Ambrose said. “And we try to have enough staff on hand to handle whatever is going on. We will also start preparing some of our sandwiches prior to the rush.”

From what she has seen, Herseth Sandlin said she believes students are enjoying the newest dining option on campus. 

“For the students that choose to go to Chick-fil-A, my sense is that they’re having a good experience. I haven’t heard any complaints about the quality. The only complaint I’ve heard is that they don’t offer the mac and cheese,” Herseth Sandlin said.