- Chick-fil-A was unable to process payments for about an hour on Friday.
- The interruption was linked to the network’s third-party payment system.
- Many Chick-fil-A customers ended up getting free food when they couldn’t afford it.
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Many Chick-fil-A customers faced an unexpected outage on Friday.
A Chick-fil-A representative confirmed to Insider that the network’s third-party payment provider experienced an outage on Friday at many companies it serves. For about an hour, the payment systems at Chick-fil-A restaurants were unable to process payments.
The problem was resolved and restaurants were again processing payments normally at 1:45 pm (Eastern Time) on Friday, the representative said.
But for some customers, there was a silver lining. Many Chick-fil-A restaurants began to distribute free meals during the shutdown.
—Ladd McConkey (@wyermush) February 26, 2021
—Adam Guillette (@adamguillette) February 26, 2021
—6’4 (@OverlyLiked) February 26, 2021
Chick-fil-A has some of the longest drive-thru lines in fast food because of its immense popularity. Long lines can create inconvenience, even without interruption creating confusion.
Insider recently reported that Chick-fil-A was facing three different lawsuits from local companies that claimed the network’s drive-thru lines were causing problems. The chain is working to speed up drive-thru lines, getting employees to take orders on iPads, launching new drive-thru designs and opening more restaurants.