How An Entire Town Was Pranked About A New Chick-Fil-A Location

It's been the talk of the town for days. It's on everyone's lips, and it's been filling the papers. There's a palpable sense of excitement in the air, a sensation of eager expectation that it's almost like people would burst if they couldn't talk about it. There's even talk of a parade to celebrate this wonderful occasion. Spread the word! Shout it from the rooftops and the windows! Cancel schools, cancel work: A new Chick-Fil-A is coming to town!

It's no secret that people love Chick-Fil-A. In 2019, BizJournals reported that Chick-Fil-A not only beat out every chicken restaurant in cleanliness, friendliness, food quality, and value (save for atmosphere, which was taken by Raising Cane's), but the company scored a 79% score on the Composite Loyalty Index compared to other restaurants. The Cold Wire reasons that Americans love Chick-Fil-A from its relatively low cost for a good product to the all-around friendly customer service. Whatever the reason may be, it's clear that folks tend to get excited when a Chick-Fil-A is rumored to be coming to town.

For one town, that joy of a Chick-Fil-A coming to town was short-lived when it turned out to be nothing more than a prank.

How exactly could one person fool an entire town into thinking that a Chik-Fil-A was coming? It surely would have had to be some grand and elaborate venture just to get people talking. Instead, the culprit used a single sign placed in the middle of an intersection.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the town of Wharton, Texas, was abuzz with rumors about the supposed arrival of the chicken restaurant, thanks to a sign someone had posted in the middle of a busy intersection. The sign, simply reading "COMING SOON" with Chick-Fil-A's logo, was all it took to get the good people of Wharton thinking about chicken sandwiches and waffle fries. It was only when the Wharton Police Department posted a message on May 10 via Facebook that the ruse was revealed. 

"A witness said this act was 'udderly heinous and heartless,'" the department wrote. "The chief has allocated additional resources to find the source of this capital offense." While updates were slow at first, the police managed to capture footage of one prime suspect spotted around the area, although they are still seeking further information.

While it's unclear when or if Chick-Fil-A plans to open a new location in Wharton, the town has learned to be a little more skeptical.