Is Chick-Fil-A's Tea Actually Brewed In-Store?

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Georgia-based Chick-fil-A has always had a strong Southern identity, and it's only natural that the region's beloved sweet tea is one of its regular beverages. But just because the popular chicken chain is representing its home region doesn't necessarily mean it actually makes the tea at each location. Fast food chains take shortcuts to increase speed of service and lower costs all the time, and they could easily do the same with iced tea. Happily, Chick-fil-A's many devoted fans won't have to be disillusioned, because the restaurants do, in fact, brew it fresh daily.

Commercial brewing machines from the Wilbur Curtis Company operate at each Chick-fil-A, using a digital system that's programmed to make each batch according to the same specifications for a reliable result. Workers put a large rectangular tea bag in the machine's basket and just push a button for the brewing process to start, which uses filtered water, so the liquid doesn't get cloudy. Once it's done, a worker will pour sugar into the tea with a measured scoop if it's being sweetened, and mix with a large spoon to dissolve it. In a TikTok demonstrating the process, the worker said they were instructed to stir for as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice.

The iced tea is available either sweetened or unsweetened, with an option to add strawberry syrup and more sugar. Chick-fil-A also sells Sunjoy, a 50-50 mix of tea and its lemonade, which edges out McDonald's lemonade with better ingredients. The combination is essentially an Arnold Palmer, however, it doesn't have the same ratio of the two drinks that the late golf great preferred. Customers can also buy gallons of the tea, lemonade, or Sunjoy to take home.

Chick-fil-A's tea is a one-of-a-kind formulation created for it by the nearly 200-year-old iconic British tea-makers Tetley, and is taste-tested daily for quality control. The private blend that the fast food chain has been using for some 30 years was developed for both taste and appearance, crafted to both combine well with sweet sugar and acidic lemon, and be a deep amber.

Because it's exclusive, people trying to duplicate Chick-fil-A's formula at home won't ever get it exactly right. However, Tetley does sell an Iced Tea Blend that was specifically designed for making at home, even writing, "Authentic Southern Iced Tea" on the box. The combination of that intent and the fact that it's from Tetley might make it the best bet for people trying to get close to Chick-fil-A's beverage. Fortunately, it's available on Amazon. Anyone who tries should remember to also follow some crucial tips for excellent homemade iced tea.

In addition to the unique tea and high-tech brewing machines, the chain also uses a special kind of ice for the tea and its other drinks. It's called nugget or pebble ice, and is made by pressing thin layers of ice together. That creates cubes with air trapped inside, making them softer than regular cubes and easier to chew.