Chick-Fil-A's Iced Coffee Has Some Seriously Mixed Reviews

In addition to a beloved daytime lineup of poultry and sides, Chick-fil-A serves an extensive breakfast menu. The chain sells its morning fare pretty early, kicking off around 6 a.m. Subsequently, that means you'll likely be grabbing a cup of joe alongside an order of Chick-n-Minis or biscuits. Only two caffeinated options are available: hot and iced coffee. Unfortunately, the latter garners an abundance of mixed reviews.

"I love coffee and I'm not picky. But, their coffee isn't even drinkable," wrote one Reddit user. For its coffee base, Chick-fil-A employs a cold-brew concentrate that is automatically diluted with 2% milk and sweetener. The chain has sourced the coffee base from Thrive Farmers Coffee for well over a decade, a brand that employs a direct-to-farmer economic model.

On paper, it's a supplier that looks promising. Unfortunately, the taste simply does not impress, lacking both body and flavor. One Facebook user noted that it tasted "like [watered] down coffee." However, others found the flavor profile to be far worse. "I think their iced coffee tastes like soap," chimed in a Reddit user. After all, the chain keeps it pretty no-frills when preparing the beverage, simply prebatching the iced coffee in a tub. It's no surprise the drink is not a hit with customers.

An unbalanced iced coffee is nothing new — overextracted cold brew concentrate is prone to bitter and astringent flavors. Thankfully, unlike other cold coffee types, an unpalatable cold brew issue is easier to adjust through dilution or by adding flavorings. Chick-fil-A's menu does enable iced coffee modifications, letting you add extra cane syrup or classic sugar, more 2% milk, as well as French vanilla creamer or half-and-half.

Some customers end up embracing the beverage after experimenting with different flavor additions. "I enjoyed the iced French vanilla, and I don't even like French vanilla anywhere else," noted a Reddit user. Plus, an even better-received hack involves requesting a shake base, meaning you blend Chick-fil-A's great-tasting milkshake base into the drink. "It's really really good. It's not super sweet," said a TikTok user, although some find the texture overly creamy. Still, for some customers, it might be an upgrade well worth trying.