Often, the origins of our favorite fast-food items are a mystery.
For example, off the top of your head, can you say who invented the Big Mac? Who was the mind behind the Whopper? And who was the unhinged soul who thought the Long John Silver’s “Big Catch” was a good idea?
While we may not know the full stories behind these iconic chain restaurant dishes, one man says he’s got a key insight into the creation of the chicken strip. How? Well, according to him, he’s the one who came up with it.
Is This The Real History Of Chicken Strips?
According to TikTok user Ben Wilson (@firedad0284), he was working at a Sandy Springs, Georgia, Chick-fil-A location in the early 1990s.
“Years ago at Chick-fil-A, there used to be a menu item called the Grilled ‘N Lites, and it was a chicken on a stick,” he explains. This is true.
However, rather than eat the grilled chicken on a stick, Wilson says he would bread them and deep-fry them in the same way that the nuggets were cooked.
“I was eating my lunch one day when Dan Cathy and several people from corporate came into the store,” Wilson recalls. Now CEO, Cathy was then the Executive Vice President of Operations.
According to Wilson, Cathy took a keen interest in his creation.
“Dan Cathy came in there, and he looked at me, and he said, ‘Son, what are you eating?’” Wilson says. “And I was like, ‘Well, sir, I take the chicken off the stick from the Grilled ‘N Lites, and I deep fry them, and I dip it in Chick-fil-A sauce, and it’s fantastic. It tastes better than nugget.’”
“He said, ‘Do you mind if I have one?’” Wilson continues. “Well, he did. Three weeks later, the Grilled ‘N Lites were off the menu, and the chicken strips were on—because of me.”
How True Is This Story?
While the TikToker’s story is certainly interesting, it’s unlikely the real reason why Chick-fil-A now has chicken strips.
For context, this TikTok user did not invent the concept of chicken strips or chicken tenders. Although the origins of the chicken tender are disputed, most agree that they were being sold in the mid-1970s by several different restaurants.
Soon, the popularity of this dish spread. By 1985, chicken strips or tenders were being sold at fast food restaurants like Burger King. While they weren’t as popular as they would become in the late 1990s, it’s unlikely that Dan Cathy would have been unfamiliar with the idea, given that it was already present in his industry.
Other Inaccuracies
Additionally, there are some other misstatements in Wilson’s story. For example, he says that his store had Chick-fil-A sauce at the time he worked there in the early 1990s. This is unlikely, as the chain did not produce the sauce for all locations until the early 2000s.
That said, that doesn’t mean the TikToker’s story didn’t really happen. In fact, there are several details that show he’s being honest. There was a Chick-fil-A location in Sandy Springs, Georgia in the early 1990s, and biographies of Dan Cathy note that he spends a considerable amount of time visiting different Chick-fil-A locations. Furthermore, Wilson is right that the Chick-N-Strips were introduced around the same time as the grilled chicken club sandwich.
It’s very possible that he deep-fried Grill-N-Lites, that Dan Cathy tried them, and that the chain put the item on the menu soon after. However, it’s unlikely that Wilson was the first person to introduce the idea to him.
@firedad0284 I put an item on the menu at Chick-fil-A #food #chickenstrip #share #wow #love @Chick-fil-A
Commenters Have Their Own Stories
In the comments section, users were quick to share the own ways their actions have impacted the world.
“I single handedly got Gillette stadium to extend handicapped parking and open up draftkings lot for overflow AND had the fees adjusted all due to insufficient parking for handicapped at gametime,” said a user. “Yup, that was me.”
“As a 70s teen worked at McDonald’s I use to make myself double quarter pounder‘s with cheese before it existed,” alleged another.
Others said that, if Wilson was telling the truth, the company should have compensated him.
“Very few companies reward employees for innovation….they consider it created on company time it is company intellectual property,” shared a commenter.
BroBible reached out to Chick-fil-A via email and @firedad0284 via TikTok and Instagram direct message.