A fake news story circulating on social media claiming Chick-fil-A is getting rid of its waffle fries has fans in a frenzy over the fries.
The internet moves quickly, especially when it comes to french fries. The initial post that appears to have started the waffle fry scam was shared on TikTok by user @bri.daniela1 on Saturday. In the video, which was viewed more than 3 million times before being taken down, the poster claims to be a Chick-fil-A employee with inside knowledge of the chain’s plans to “remove” waffle fries.
TikTok user @bri.daniela1 quickly followed up with a statement saying she never expected the first video to garner so much attention, and that the “news” she shared was not true. The second video was also later deleted.
Another TikTok user, @imjusmike, further fueled the fry frenzy, posting a video that has been viewed a million times, writing, “Is it true Chick-fil-A is stopping selling waffle fries?”
As anyone who’s spent a few hours on the internet knows, rumors often travel faster than the truth, as was the case with the waffle fry fiasco.
Read more: Chick-fil-A launches waffle fry pool floats and chicken sandwich-shaped towels
Farewell to waffle fries?
The french fry fake news story got even more traction on Wednesday when @snackbetch, a popular Instagram account that shares updates on all things fast food, treats, snacks, and sweets, posted about “Chick-fil-A french fries.”
The post includes a photo of straight cut fries with the words, “NEW!! Chick-fil-A French Fries,” along with the caption, “Would you like to see these rolled out nationwide? I like the idea of another fry option besides waffle cut fries.”
Fans quickly began expressing all five stages of grief in the comments section, threatening to boycott Chick-fil-A over the change, demanding that they not ruin “perfection,” and questioning, “Who asked for this?”
@snackbetch quickly updated their post to clarify that the straight cut fries were a new addition and not a replacement, saying, “They are now available in locations on the Little Blue menu. Apologies for writing ‘new item’.”
But the clarification came too late for TikTok’s fry fry fans, as the platform quickly began buzzing with videos of fry fry enthusiasts.
Luckily, users wised up sooner or later and assured panicked fans that there would be no more fries.
Some even made their own videos to chastise the creators for spreading the myth, asking, “Why did they lie?”
Chick-fil-A’s response
Chick-fil-A officially denied the rumors in a statement to USA Today, saying, “Chick-fil-A customers need not worry — our beloved Waffle Fries are not going away!”
Chick-fil-A’s side project, Little Blue Menu, also responded to a post on its Instagram page about the fries, in which some commenters expressed similar concerns.
“Don’t worry, Chick-fil-A Waffle Fries aren’t going anywhere! The fries will only be available at Little Blue Menu in College Park, Maryland,” the statement reads. “That’s the fun of Little Blue Menu restaurants – customers can enjoy Chick-fil-A classics along with Little Blue Menu exclusive items like French fries, sweet potato tots, onion rings and more!”
What is Chick-fil-A’s Little Blue Menu?
Chick-fil-A’s Little Blue Menu is a single-location virtual kitchen inspired by the original restaurants opened by chain founder Truett Cathy. Originally called Dwarf Grill, Cathy’s establishment featured an ever-changing blue menu board where Cathy would post her new inventions for customers to sample.
He perfected the chicken sandwich there in 1964, establishing the recipe that would eventually give birth to an entire chain of restaurants.
Implementing the idea of a rotating menu that allows customers to sample and provide feedback on new products, Chick-fil-A opened a Little Blue Menu Kitchen in College Park, Maryland, which serves traditional Chick-fil-A menu items as well as new concepts such as burgers, pizza, wings, and onion rings.
These are straight cut french fries, not waffles.
The Little Blue menu is currently an online-only menu, so anyone wanting to try it in the College Park area will have to order through the Chick-fil-A app or website.
