Did you know that most Chick-Fil-A locations offer a free "Backstage Tour" of their facility? We are frequent customers at Chick-Fil-A, so I always have my ear open for special deals and opportunities. The tour details vary depending on the location, but generally they will take your group behind the counter and into the kitchen. The tour guide will show you how the food is stored, prepared, packaged, and distributed. You may even get a history lesson on the origin of Chick-Fil-A and it's founder, who passed away this past September. RIP Samuel Truett Cathy.
I immediately thought it would be a great homeschool field trip, so I invited our local homeschool support group and we arranged a group tour.
I found the tour to be appropriate for all ages. Our homeschool group consisted of moms and kids, ages ranging from toddlers to teens. The tour guide was very accommodating and adapted the tour to match our early learners' comprehension. Our tour was about 20 mins in length, but I was told that depending on the group the tour can last from 15 mins to 40 mins. Babies needed to be held and the young kids were told to keep their hands in their pockets or at their sides, for safety reasons. Chick-Fil-A hats were distributed to all the kids and the adults got to wear "Backstage Passes" to authenticate the experience. No photography is allowed during the tour. The employees were very friendly and gladly answered all of our questions. At the end of our tour we all received a complimentary ice cream cone! This was a big score for the kids!...Okay, okay, I was excited about ice cream too! ;)
We all had fun and it was a unique experience for our sweet little homeschool students. They all walked away from the tour feeling at home at Chick-Fil-A and quite knowledgable about the procedures. Marley was very excited to tell her daddy about how the ice machine works and how the soda gets to the front counter. I love how the little things fascinate our little ones. It was an adventurous and delicious excursion for all of us.
HOW TO RESERVE A TOUR:
It's so easy! Just call your local Chick-Fil-A location and ask them if they offer the "Backstage Tour." They will most likely say yes or refer you to a nearby location where it is offered. You can then ask questions about what dates and times the tours are available. My local Chick-Fil-A offered the tour pretty much any weekday between 10am and noon or 2pm and 4pm, in order to avoid the times of heavy traffic. They referred me to the local marketing manager and gave me her email address so that I could confirm a day and time for my group. I was told that a group larger than 7 or 8 people would be split into smaller groups due to limited space. Our group had 15 people, so we went in two groups. It did take the marketing manager a few days to respond, so I would try to plan it a couple weeks ahead of time. And you should be all set!
Enjoy and "Eat Mor Chikin!"
If you know of any other unique places that offer tours or accommodate small group field trips, PLEASE COMMENT and let me know! I would love to visit other places and see what is offered in the educational sense.
*I did NOT get paid or sponsored in any way to write this post. I just really like Chick-Fil-A.
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