Ballston food court showdown

Luisa Banchoff, '13 and Abigial Bessler, '13, Editors
June 24, 2011
Filed under Student Life

When customers walk into the Ballston Mall food court, they are faced with a variety of options. McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A, two prominent fast food restaurants, sit opposite each other, boasting fluorescent lights to attract customers to their menus. The lines for both establishments are comparable, but customers have defined reasons for choosing one or the other.

One advantage to McDonald’s is the dollar menu. “The dollar menu was the reason I went to McDonald’s,” said one customer. “Chick-Fil-A tastes way better but we’re trying to save money.”

Ms. Melissa Argueta, the manager of Chick-Fil-A and a former W-L student, said that although McDonald’s might be cheaper, “In quality we beat them hands down.”

Argueta said that the true advantage to Chick-Fil-A was customer service. “At McDonald’s, they just hand you your food. Here we appreciate customers…We make them feel welcome.”

One mother buying food at Chick-Fil-A said that she chose it over McDonald’s because of nutrition reasons. In fact, a six-piece chicken McNugget meal is 280 calories whereas at Chick-Fil-A, the comparable amount of chicken is 200 calories, with half the amount of fat.

Regardless of reasons, both locations attract customers in relatively equal amounts. Argueta said the line for Chick-Fil-A often extends past the centrally located elevator in the food court, although she had no comment on which establishment truly attracted more customers daily.

So the battle continues.

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