Late Lunch Report: Chick-A-Lay...

Well, you may call it Chick-Fil-A, but my wife had a little girl in her class who would always call it Chick-a-lay, so that is what we call it.And though I did not camp out for several days in advance to wait for the big opening, my wife was eager to give the new Alamo Ranch Chick-a-lay a try, so we slipped in this afternoon to get the feel of the new place.I don't know if you have noticed, but the place has been packed non-stop (well, except for Sunday) since the opening. The good news is, if you need to catch-up on your religious studies during lunch, they serve reading materials right along with the condiments.

This Chick-fil-A (like others I have been to) strives for outstanding, friendly customer service. It is like going back into a time machine to when the people at McDonald's actually gave a crap about whether or not you enjoy your visit or plan to come back based upon your experience. I tend to shy away from overly friendly people at restaurants because usually it means they have seen me with my camera and are trying to figure out why I keep taking pictures of my food and such, but in the case of these people, it is genuine interest in making the customer happy.The restaurant staff was non-stop cleaning, asking people if they needed anything, smiling, offering to carry our tray, and more smiling. Very cult-like, but in a good way. I swear, the owners of Chick-a-lay ought to make videos and sell them to places like 'Donald's, Taco Bell and the other people who hire today's youth but fell to properly motivate them into being good service providers.The food is simple. We ordered up some chicken sandwiches (mine on wheat), those waffle fries and an order of nuggets. I'm always concerned about the sandwiches because when you look at it, it is nothing more than a piece of chicken on a bun with a few pickles. The first thing I instinctively think is DRY! So of course, I have to slather on some mayonnaise. Worry not; I have never, ever gotten a piece of chicken from any Chick-a-lay that was not seriously juicy.The nuggets are the same thing, just smaller and no buns. But we did get some honey mustard dipping sauce that was adequate for the occasion.Can someone explain to me the process for making these waffle fries? I mean, they are clearly potatoes, not some made-up substance that appears to be a potato. I just don't know if they have a guy in the back with a little waffle press or what? Anyone?The atmosphere was friendly, the place was clean, the food was as good as we knew it would be, and the service was fast in spite of the large crowd. I suppose it is like any opening where they have all the supervisor types hanging around, so maybe the workers are a little more enthusiastic. Time will tell. But for a tasty chicken sandwich and a good first experience, the AR Chick-Fil-A gets the Tasty Treat.