Chick-fil-A is facing backlash after a TikTok video revealed how the company handles its food, leaving many customers disheartened.
The fast-food chain, renowned for its chicken sandwiches and customer service, came under scrutiny when an employee from its Albuquerque, New Mexico location shared footage of trays of chicken nuggets being thrown away.
The brief clip, originally posted in 2021 by TikTok user @jlucvss, was captioned, “what they do every night with the chicken nuggets at Chick-fil-A.”
The video quickly went viral, garnering over 7.4 million views before being taken down. It sparked widespread debate about food waste in the restaurant industry, with viewers voicing their disappointment and outrage.
“This place just throws [their] food away, could legit end world hunger,” commented one concerned user.
Another added, “All those homeless starving and you just casually throw food away, waste.”
A third chimed in,“Such a waste there are so many poor people out there that don’t have food and you guys are going and doing that, [it’s] disgraceful.”
A fourth commenter proposed a solution to the alleged food waste: “So much food waste. Think about it—if every restaurant in town donated all the leftover food, I bet no one in town would go hungry.”
Others focused on the broader impact, criticizing the wastefulness of the supply chain. “It’s a shame to kill so many chickens only to throw them in the trash,” one user noted.
“Bruh chickens didn’t die for this,” one user remarked, while another questioned the overproduction: “[You’re] wasting chicken, if the customers don’t eat that much then [why] do they make [so much] food? [You] should not have [killed] that many chickens.”
Other fast-food enthusiasts shared their reactions, with one writing, “I was so shocked I had an out of body experience,” Another joked, “Breaking news. There has been a mass murder of chicken nuggies at a local Chick-fil-A, more on this story at 6.”
Meanwhile, some netizens pointed out that strict food safety regulations often prevent restaurants from donating unsold food.
“Chicken that sits out too long cannot be given out to the homeless hours later it will get them sick. It’s not a doughnut,” one user explained.
Backing up the TikTok claims, current and former Chick-fil-A employees shared similar experiences from various locations. “Can confirm. We used to throw out SO much chicken,” one person revealed. Another added “Blame corporate not the employees.”
In a related incident, another Chick-fil-A employee shared a photo on Reddit showing a trash bin filled with unsold cookies.
The post, titled “The manager would throw away cookies every Saturday instead of giving them to the employees,” sparked further discussion.
“That’s just dumb. Especially when the manager can control how many are made day-to-day,” one user commented. Another suggested a practical solution: “For the mom who brings their kid in for a meal and doesn’t order the cookie, give the employees some leeway with the cookies and it could lead to repeat customers instead of wasted food.”
A third Redditor weighed in, cautioning against potential pitfalls: “And someone will start demanding their cookie handout and ruin it for everyone.”
Food Waste Reduction
To its credit, Chick-fil-A has implemented a food waste reduction initiative known as the Shared Table program. Launched in 2012, the program aims to “[bridge] the gap between restaurants with surplus food and community organizations that serve those in need.”
Contrary to claims made by some employees, Chick-fil-A states on its website that “in addition to donating leftover food,” the company has adopted a “‘cook less, more often’ approach to reduce or eliminate the amount of food that goes unserved.”
In a statement to Newsweek, a Chick-fil-A spokesperson addressed the accusations of food waste, defending the employees’ actions and citing food safety regulations.
“We’re not able to determine which Chick-fil-A restaurant this is but can share that each restaurant has high food safety and quality standards, so when food falls outside a certain hold time…it’s no longer safe to donate or serve,” the spokesperson explained.