Chick-fil-A’s retro-style cups (and chances to win) go viral
To celebrate its 80th anniversary in business, Chick-fil-A has launched four retro-style cups, including a “Golden Fun Cup” that can be redeemed for free food.
Is there a reason why Chick-fil-A fries have changed in taste lately?
The fan-favorite fries don’t appear to have pea starch on the ingredient list, according to the restaurant’s website.
It wasn’t immediately clear when the ingredient was added to fries, when it was removed, or whether the change was rolled out nationwide. Chick-fil-A declined to provide additional information when asked for comment by USA TODAY on March 4.
However, Food Allergy Research & Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and health of people with food allergies, announced in a Feb. 12 Facebook post that pea starch has been removed from the fries and “guests with pea allergies can now enjoy waffle fries.”
Customers notice a difference in Chick-fil-A’s iconic waffle fries
In February, Reddit users on multiple Chick-fil-A subreddits also noted changes in the flavor of fries.
One Reddit user commented: “That’s probably why I ate so much over the weekend.”
“I’m going to miss pea starch. No one told me,” one person wrote, while another said that “adding pea starch made fries taste bad” so they “started eating soup instead.”
Washington, D.C.-area TikTok user YuPizzaSheet said in a Jan. 22 video that Chick-fil-A’s new fries, which consumers are calling “V3,” are “6000% better.”
A Change.org petition calling for Chick-fil-A to restore its original recipe for waffle fries was also launched on January 8, 2025, with a goal of 1,000 signatures. The petition had 931 signatures at the time of publication.
“Chick-fil-A, known for its quality food and service, has unwittingly made changes that impact the enjoyment of its core side dishes,” the petition reads. “While a seemingly simple request, asking Chick-fil-A to restore its original recipe for fries means maintaining familiarity and customer loyalty.”
Some social media users said the ingredient made the fries crunchier and helped them maintain that crispiness longer, but customers said they missed the “soggy” version of the old version and said the new version was dry, hard and flavorless.
Conversely, not everyone disliked the pea starch version of fries.
“I don’t care who disagrees. The new fries taste better. I would die on this hill,” one Reddit user posted, sparking a heated debate.
“Honestly, I love the new fries. To me they taste the same, but still have that wonderful potato taste, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside,” said another. “The new fries are basically an improvement on the old fries.”
Contributor: Ken Alltucker
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
