Chick-fil-A angers customers with major change in stores

Chick-fil-A has recently made some significant changes to its menu amid growing competition in the fast-food industry.

Earlier this year, the fast-food chain introduced four new Pineapple Dragonfruit beverages and brought back its beloved Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich, both of which will remain on menus for a limited time.

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Most recently, Chick-fil-A also returned its fan-favorite Peach Milkshake to its menu for the summer and introduced a new limited-edition Peach Frosted Lemonade.

Related: Papa Johns makes major menu change to win back customers

While most Chick-fil-A fans have welcomed recent menu changes, not all have gone so smoothly.

In January, when Chick-fil-A announced that it made “a slight adjustment” to its waffle fry recipe to make it “stay crispier, longer,” fans threw a fit. Some customers claimed that the new fry recipe made the fries taste “bland” and pleaded for the return of the old recipe.

Chick-fil-A fans are not always happy about change.

Image source: Mandel NGan/AFP/GettyImages

Chick-fil-A faces backlash for major change

Now, it appears that Chick-fil-A has once again frustrated fans by making a major change some didn’t ask for.

In 2023, Chick-fil-A first began transitioning away from serving drinks in Styrofoam cups in certain states, replacing them with paper cups.

Then, in November last year, it warned customers that its restaurants in select U.S. locations will gradually stop serving beverages in double-wall paper cups and will transition to single-wall paper and plastic cups, highlighting that they are recyclable.

As these changes take effect, Chick-fil-A customers have recently expressed dissatisfaction with the fast-food chain’s transition to paper cups in a series of Reddit posts.

Related: Pizza Hut struggles to reverse troubling consumer trend

“I’m fine with the fries change, but taking away the styrofoam cup? This feels gross,” wrote one Chick-fil-A customer, who attached an image of the new Chick-fil-A cup in a Reddit post.

“I understand if it’s better for the environment. I just reeaaallly wish we could find a similar alternative, because styrofoam really does keep that ice from melting nearly as fast,” wrote another Reddit user under the post’s comment section.

“Styrofoam is a much better material for cups. Its insulated so your hand doesn’t get cold and wet while holding it,” reads another comment.

“When there stopped being styrofoam cups, i stopped going to chick fil a,” wrote a Redditor.

Chick-fil-A follows a growing trend

Chick-fil-A’s decision to stray away from Styrofoam cups comes after 11 states, including New York, Colorado, New Jersey, and Virginia, banned Styrofoam in an effort to reduce waste and boost the use of reusable items.

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Styrofoam has also received criticism for posing a risk to the human body. Styrofoam is known as expanded polystyrene, which is made from a chemical called styrene. When heated, styrene can leach out of the Styrofoam and into drinks and food. Some studies have linked styrene to blood cancers and genetic damage to white blood cells.

While paper cups are often seen as a safer option, they are sometimes lined with a thin layer of plastic, which can also leach chemicals such as BPA or styrene into drinks when heated. 

Related: McDonald’s CEO sounds alarm on major customer problem