The Real Reason Chick-Fil-A's Menu Items Disappear

Perhaps you've noticed in your social media feeds people professing their love for Chick-fil-A items like the peach milkshake or the strawberry passion tea lemonade. Well, these same folks are likely to soon find themselves tweeting in anger and disappointment when they find out these items are no longer on the menu. That's because just like summer vacation and daylight saving time, some things just don't last the entire year. If you're a CFA fan you're probably screaming, "Why?! Why can't Chick-fil-A keep every item on its menu forever and ever?!" Well, it's all about keeping things seasonal and exciting, according to Chick-fil-A's blog, The Chicken Wire.

"We are very intentional about adding menu items that are available seasonally," said Ben Bolling of Chick-fil-A's menu and packaging team. According to Southern Living, peach season in the South typically goes from May to August — though there's a lot of debate upon which month produces the best peaches by state. Because Chick-fil-A uses "fresh, peak-of-the-season peaches," they're only able to offer the milkshake during the late spring and summer months (via The Chicken Wire). Strawberries also hit their peak ripeness around this time of the year, according to Epicurious, which would explain why the strawberry passion tea lemonade hits menus in the summertime.

So what about those seasonal menu items that don't depend on a particular harvest season? After all, bacon and barbecue sauce is available anytime of the year. Some items that only have a short stay on Chick-fil-A's menu are meant to play into the flavors of the season. CFA's Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich is meant to pay homage to the summer cookout experience, while the winter-only peppermint chocolate chip milkshake gives a nod to the holiday season. "We always want to keep our menu exciting and relevant for our guests," Bolling added.

This might not do much to ease your hunger pangs for a BBQ bacon sandwich in February, but at least now you know why some Chick-fil-A favorites only hang around for a limited time.