My very own ‘home and native’ town, Ottawa, is getting not one, but two Chick-Fil-A locations! I’ve been waiting for this for a long time… Would you believe 25 years? But I’m most interested in what’s on the menu, and how much it will cost…
The Houses of Parliament: Centre Block. Seat of Canada’s Federal Government.
Ottawa’s downtown Chick-Fil-A will be just steps away…
The iconic US Southern Fried Chicken brand already has 14 locations in Canada, the vast majority of them in Ontario. That was news to me… Nevertheless, my town – Canada’s National Capital – is finally getting not one but two CFA locations. One opened yesterday, at the far-west-end Tanger Outlets Mall – right across Highway 417 from the arena where our NHL Senators play.
The second will open later this year in the heart of downtown Ottawa, at the Rideau Centre Mall complex. It’s just steps from Parliament Hill – Canada’s national seat of government – and the famous Byward Market tourist mecca.
Long time coming
Founder Truett Cathy opened the first CFA resto in Hapeville, Georgia, in 1946. He immediately launched a legend, creating the original Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich. Which it took competitors and the rest of the Fast Food world in general more than 50 years to copy.
Cathy officially founded CFA Inc. in 1967, and expansion hit high gear. But it wasn’t until 2019 – just before the COVID crisis struck, that CFA opened its first Canadian store, at the historic intersection of Yonge and Bloor Streets in downtown Toronto.
Traditional roots
The Cathy family has always been distinguished for it’s spirituality and its associated commitment to community service. The chain gives back to the communities in which it operates, often in the form of donating to food banks and other social support causes. In fact, the company celebrated it’s west-end opening with a donation of $34,000 to a local Second Harvest ‘food rescue’ operation.
Also, the official CFA Canada website relates, “Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose — a practice we uphold today.” That goes for the Canadian locations, too.
My take
By my reckoning, it’s ‘only’ taken 60 years for Chick-Fil-A to reach my town. Better late than never!
The CFA Canada menu is very similar to the US version. However… The Canadian dollar remains low, at just (US)$0.73 today. So I suspect prices will be higher than many of us in the Great White North might be expecting.
The last time I had the chance to enjoy a CFA sandwich was in late April, 1999 – when we stopped for lunch driving Dad back north after his winter escape to Florida.
I’ve waited 25 years for another taste of that trademark CFA flavour and crunch…
~ Maggie J.