There are now 45 Chic-fil-A locations in the Garden State and soon will it will be 49. A brand new Chic-fil-A just opened last Thursday on Terrill Rd. in Watchung. This must be great news for the town considering last year Business Insider and Foursquare partnered to determine Chic-fil-A is New Jersey’s favorite fast food.

Apparently Popeye’s chicken sandwich coup did nothing to slow the runaway popularity of this brand as 4 more Chic-fil-As are slated to open here. Route 1 in North Brunswick will be home to an over 6,000 sq. foot restaurant, and Legacy Square on Routes 1 and 9 in Linden, Route 1 in Edison near Top Golf and the White Horse Pike in Barrington are the other three. No opening dates have been set.

What’s the secret to their success? I don’t personally get it. But fans are loyal in a way fans of other fast food are not. Business Insider says it has much to do with the service and experience consistently received by customers. I will say this. Times I’ve been there I’ve never had an employee appear indifferent and never doubted they’d gotten my order right.

How hard is it to own a franchise?

Very.

Out of 20,000 applications taken per year only 80 are granted the opportunity. Isn’t this just a chicken joint? I never quite got Chic-fil-A. Their food to me is okay but kind of a limited menu. Waffle fries are definitely the red-headed stepchild of the french fry family. And despite what they put out as spin, as recently as June 2018 they admitted bankrolling organizations that have anti-LGBTQ agendas. I have cousins, friends and co-workers who are of that community and this position has always bothered me.

But New Jersey can certainly use the jobs and I wish each franchise owner the best of luck.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.

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