One Redditor took to the site recently to observe a strange phenomenon with their Chick-fil-A buns: apparently, according to the user (u/TheSissyAnn), they suddenly “[smelled] very weird”—in fact, “like tires.”
The user went on to elaborate that they’d had sandwiches from two different locations in the Houston, Texas area and both suffered from the same issue. It was so off-putting, in fact, they “couldn’t eat the bun.”
Changes To Chick-Fil-A Buns?
A helpful commenter on the post speculated that perhaps the sudden change in the buns had to do with the chain’s distributor: “Bread is made locally by and distributed by a local distributor. Both locations almost certainly use the same distributor,” they theorized. The user also suggested that the original poster let the locations know about the issue.
However, it seems like many people are voicing complaints regarding recent changes to Chick-fil-A’s buns, and while not all of them are complaining about the smell, many are complaining about a new key ingredient: sesame.
Not So Open, Sesame
Redditor u/MissyMeliss141 reported that upon logging in to the Chick-fil-A app, they received a message that notified users "Our white bun, multigrain brioche bun, and Chick-fil-A Cool Wrap now permanently contain sesame." While some responders argued that the buns "always contained sesame" and that the fast food chain is simply clarifying its presence now after the ingredient was named as a new top allergen by the World Health Organization this year, others on both Reddit and Twitter insist that the bun's flavor has changed drastically post-announcement.
why the hell chick fil a added sesame seeds to the buns
— kam (@freshchamisul) March 20, 2023
Chick Fil A adding sesame seeds to their buns has ruined my entire week
— (@legomyedil) March 14, 2023
Chick Fil A added sesame seeds to their buns
— Dee wit the Dollaas (@DejaaVuu_) March 6, 2023
One Twitter user even complained, "Now I gotta get the f****** gluten free bun? What are we doing here, you guys have got to get real. Take out the sesame #sesamegate."
Dr. Larry Istrail Tweeted his thoughts on the matter, adding some very illuminating context:
However, it has created a perverse incentive for restaurants and food manufacturers to ADD sesame seed to products that didn't previously have it. Chick-fil-A for example added this confusing statement to their website: pic.twitter.com/TpL9aSCDUh
— Dr. Larry Istrail (@dr_larryi) February 6, 2023
Some have now dubbed Chick-fil-A's move to permanently add sesame to their buns as "malicious compliance" with the new allergen law.
Customers are already pushing back:
@ChickfilA hey, chick fil a, disappointed that you don’t care about your customers. You added sesame to ingredients that did not use to have this TOP 9 ALLERGEN. You took the easy and cheap way out. DO BETTER.
— Brooke (@nursemerrillb) February 2, 2023
It remains to be seen whether this change-up in the buns' formulation led to the "tire" smell noted by the Chick-fil-A customer on Reddit.
