The Ordering Mistake You Probably Make With Chick-Fil-A Milkshakes

In 1967, S. Truett Cathy opened the first Chick-fil-A in Atlanta's Greenbriar Shopping Center which has now turned into a multi-national fried chicken chain spanning 48 states, with over 3,000 brick-and-mortar businesses. Despite Chick-fil-A's wild amounts of success, people are still making an ordering mistake when opting for a milkshake with its (waffle) fries. Even though it may be tempting to go for the biggest size of milkshake, especially when splitting it with friends and family, Chick-fil-A only offers its milkshake in one size: a small 16-ounce cup. 

Much to the chagrin of Chick-fil-A milkshake fans, Chick-fil-A used to offer a larger size but eventually switched to a smaller one. However, a Change.org petition is trying to get the large milkshakes back. But for now, while you're ordering, there's no need to specify a large, medium, or small — all of your milkshakes will come in a small cup.

Like any successful fast-food chain, Chick-fil-A has a wide breadth of data to analyze when making menu changes and Chick-fil-A corporate noticed an interesting pattern when offering 20-ounce milkshakes — customers were ordering the larger milkshake with an extra cup and then splitting the two. While some speculate that the change to smaller serving sizes was Chick-fil-A's attempt to avoid customers getting two for the price of one in the name of "menu simplification," Chick-fil-A states that it's all in the name of menu simplification. According to the fast-food chain, "[We] removed and consolidated select menu offerings, including our large milkshakes, so we can continue to serve quality food as efficiently as possible, and to make room for future menu items." 

As of this writing, Chick-fil-A offers five flavors of milkshakes. It has the staples; vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, as well as seasonal options, which currently include the Cookies & Cream milkshake and the Peppermint Chip milkshake. Each 16-ounce milkshake has 590 to 630 calories and between 80 and 95 grams of sugar. If this has made you crave a milkshake from your closest Chick-fil-A, be sure to check out these useful menu hacks before you go.