Here's Why People Think Chick-Fil-A Got Rid Of Its Carrot Raisin Salad
We have to admit: When Chick-fil-A does something right, they absolutely master it. Case in point — during its first year on the restaurant's menu, the mac & cheese grew to become one of the chain's most popular items (via the official website). Meanwhile, the chicken nuggets — which debuted in 1982, more than 30 years after first restaurant opened — have maintained their status as a fan favorite for a good number of years.
But not everything Chick-fil-A sells is meant to stick around forever. Their cinnamon cluster treats barely made it to a full decade before getting the boot in 2016, while multigrain oatmeal only survived a short five years on the menu. And just a few months ago, the restaurant made the decision to cut their sunflower multigrain bagel from their breakfast menu along with decaf coffee (via Atlanta Journal Constitution). While some of these past dishes have faded into the distant memories of Chick-fil-A past, there are other losses that still sting to this day. For many fans of the chain, the most devastating was the axing of the infamous carrot raisin salad.
Per the official website, the chain's signature dish was based on a recipe by the original Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy and remained on the menu for nearly 40 years. But when the news broke that the chain was getting rid of it for good, fans were absolutely devastated. Southern Living went as far to urge the chain to reconsider the decision by publishing a piece titled "Dear Chick-fil-A, Please Bring Back Our Carrot and Raisin Salad."
Some people are convinced Chick-fil-A cut the salad over sales
Though the salad has been off the menu for years, some people are clearly still not over its departure. In fact, one person recently wrote in the Chick-fil-A sub-Reddit that they still miss the dish, which prompted several commenters to speculate why it was cut in the first place.
Though Chick-fil-A never explicitly stated why they nixed the carrot raisin salad, it seems likely that it was purely a business decision. As one former employee revealed in the comments: "No one bought [the carrot raisin salad]. We probably sold 1-2 per day. It wasn't worth it for the prep time to pay someone to make something that wouldn't sell." Other commenters, however, offered a more brutal take and stated the salad probably sold poorly because it wasn't as good as some people claimed it was. One user wrote: "Most people don't think of carrots and raisins as a good combo. I love a good salad, and that's one I probably wouldn't try." Another added, "If I heard something called the carrot raisin salad I would just leave the entire restaurant."
Regardless, it doesn't seem like the menu item is making a grand reappearance on the fast food restaurant's menu anytime soon. But thankfully Chick-fil-A didn't leave their fans empty-handed. Back in 2015, they shared the official recipe for the salad on the company blog as a parting gift to its loyal customers. Plus, they've since stepped up their healthy game quite a bit, adding to their menu a totally customizable chicken cobb salad and a kale Caesar salad for customers to try.