Fry Girl: How come you own a Chick-fil-A and I don't?
Daniel Trotter: There's a saying within the company that it's easier to get into the CIA than it is to own a Chick-fil-A. That's because the company puts up most of the start-up money. Growing up in Atlanta [roosting headquarters of Chick-fil-A], I worked at one before I became an owner.
FG: Chick-fil-A's reservation-only promotion for a free, pre-release sampling of its Spicy Chicken Sandwich was decidedly different than KFC's approach of handing out free coupons, which always seems to be a disaster.
DT: (laughing, 'cause I'm hilarious) Yeah, I think they've tried that three times and have failed each time. I think most people expected it [the promotion] to work like a coupon. That's why we did something different, like the dedicated Spicy VIP register and reserved seating section. Plus, there's the fryer.
FG: The fryer?
DT: We have a new, dedicated fryer because its breading changes the flavor of the peanut oil we cook our other sandwiches in. That's another reason the promotion had limited reservations: We only have the one fryer.
FG: So what are people saying?
DT: About 95 percent love it, while 5 percent think it's too spicy. What did you think?
FG: Not spicy enough. I added buffalo sauce. Did I taste Lawry's seasoning salt?
DT: Can't answer that one. Only the founder [Truett Cathy] and a friend know what's in the breading.
FG: (adding "find out what's in Chick-fil-A breading" to bucket list) Are folks comparing the new sandwich to the original?
DT: Not really. We think the Spicy Chicken Sandwich lover is a new customer. My team has, though. Most of the guys like the spicy while the girls like the original. It's about 50-50.
FG: So give Fry Girl some dirt on what's next for the Chick.
DT: In December, we'll be introducing a spicy chicken biscuit to our breakfast menu. Our biscuits are made from scratch and they're sweet, so the breading will be different.
FG: Gettin' some good use out of that new fryer, eh?
DT: Yeah. What's the name of your column again?
FG: (sigh.)