Drive-Thru Gourmet
Tots and chicken nuggets? Chick-fil-A scores big with new breakfast bowl
This week I reached out for a Hash Brown Scramble, new from Chick-fil-A, the chicken sandwich kingpins, with 2,100 family-owned, privately-held restaurants feathering the U.S.
The Hash Brown Scramble is Chick-fil-A’s first breakfast in a bowl, and the first addition to Chick-fil-A’s morning menu since last year’s protein-packed Egg White Grill on an English muffin.
Here’s the Hash Brown Scramble breakdown
Crispy tater tots, scrambled eggs, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese, and sliced chicken nuggets or sausage, scooped in a plastic bowl or tucked inside a flour tortilla. Served with a side of jalapeno salsa. If you’re eating while driving, the tortilla is the smart play.
Total calories: 450 (in the bowl). Protein: 30 grams. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $3.49.
Chick-fil-A hasn’t released the bulk of nutritional information for the Hash Brown Scramble yet. But after 20 years reviewing more than 1,000 fast food reviews (and living to tell about it), I’m a pretty good guesser. So let’s say 28 fat grams. Sodium: 500 milligrams. Carbs: 40 grams. Dietary fiber: 2.
Those are just estimates. If nutritional numbers are important to you, check with Chick-fil-A first to make sure.
Simplicity at its best
When ordered with the flour tortilla, the Hash Brown Scramble is similar to the now bye-bye Breakfast Burrito. The main difference, the burrito had fire-roasted onions and peppers. The Hash Brown Scramble is bare bones, but simply satisfying.
By the way, the titular hash browns are in the form of tater tots.
The Hash Brown Scramble, like everything on Chick-fil-A’s menu, is good dependable fare, prepared meticulously with obsessive attention to cleanliness and service. I mean, when you visit the condiment station, even the packets are neatly stacked with the label facing out.
Making bank
And for a chicken place, Chick-fil-A has become a cash cow. I remember visiting a new burger joint in an upscale mall food court. The owner said he hoped to gross about $1.5 million a year. “That’s what most of the restaurants do in this mall … except for that one over there. They do $4 million a year.”
He was pointing to Chick-fil-A.
According to the latest fast food rankings, McDonald’s has about 14,000 U.S. restaurants, and they average about $2.5 million in gross annual sales. Subway, which has the most locations (27,000) averages about $500,000 per restaurant.
Chick-fil-A averages $4.4 million per restaurant. The U.S. Mint once called Chick-fil-A headquarters and asked, “How do you print money so fast?”
Making Chick-fil-A’s cha-ching even more impressive, every Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday – company policy — to allow employees to spend time with their families, worship, relax, or whatever.