June 21, 2024
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Is Chick-fil-A’s Summer Camp a Teaching Moment or Child Labor?
The introduction of a $35 “Chick-fil-A Summer Camp” offering children ages 5 to 12 a “behind-the-scenes look” inside the fast-food restaurant at a Louisiana franchised location led to quick sell-out but also loud accusations of child labor on social media.
The camp, being held at the franchised store in Hammond over nine days in July, promises a “fun time getting a behind-the-scenes view of what it’s like to work at America’s favorite quick-service restaurant.”
The sessions last three hours from 9 a.m. to noon, with each having a capacity of 30 children. Attendees spend time with “Team Leaders” and the beloved Chick-fil-A cow mascot. They also receive a kid’s meal, T-shirt, name tag, and snack for the one-time $35 fee.
It’s not clear what tasks or activities the kids will do, but Chick-fil-A representatives told USA Today that the kids will be doing “activities” with “employees serving as counselors” and not the work of staffers. At another Chick-fil-A location holding a summer camp in New Orleans, attendees learn how to “take orders, deliver orders, make drinks, and be a hostess,” according to a Facebook post.
Within hours, the Hammond location revealed online that all sessions had been booked and some additional ones were added.
Chick-fil-A representatives told USA Today that the camps do not turn a profit. The chain’s restaurants are franchised by local owners who are encouraged to create programs to drive community engagement.
Reactions to the camp below the introduction post on Facebook skewed largely negative, with many shaming the location for promoting child labor. One critic wrote, “When I was a kid we didn’t go to child labor camps, we went to actual summer camp … swimming in a lake, riding horses, archery, campfires and smores.”
Another wrote, “So people pay you money, and you get free child labor but call it a camp? Sounds legit,” according to The Street.
Some questioned whether the personnel overseeing the program were properly certified to work with children.
Still, Mike Rowe, best known for his work as host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs,” praised the camp in an interview with Fox Business for highlighting the need to teach kids “soft skills” that are critical to social and career development as adults.
The Facebook post also had more than a few positive comments. One fan wrote, “Kudos to you, Chick-fil-A Hammond. It’s nice to see an offer to teach young children about work ethic and responsibility, while having a little fun at the same time.”
Another said her son is a Chick-fil-A fan and would have loved to participate, adding, “Kids love to experience things like this, and I can guarantee none of them are forced! Thanks Chick-fil-A for always being involved in and contributing to our community.”
BrainTrust
Brad Halverson
Principal, Clearbrand CX
Mark Price
Adjunct Professor of AI and Analytics, University of St. Thomas
Arnjah Dillard
North America Retail Practice Lead, Stibo Systems
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Are you a fan or a critic of the “Chick-fil-A Summer Camp” experience being offered at the Louisiana Chick-fil-A franchisee?
What lessons do you think the sessions may offer, or do you see it more as a way to drive loyalty?
Would you encourage other establishments to offer similar “behind-the-scenes” experiences at their stores or restaurants?
Poll
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What a fuss over nothing! Chick-fil-A is not using these children to work in its restaurants. It is showing them how restaurants work and providing them with a bit of fun. Plus the kids get a meal and some goodies to take away. This is an opportunity, not exploitation. Some people need to get ahold of themselves before coming out with reactionary nonsense.
When did picking up social skills and learning how things work become a bad thing?
I don’t know. I think it’s a great thing! And anyone who dislikes the program does not have to participate.
I love teaching work ethic and responsibility any time we can get it. However, we have no insight into the curriculum, the learning objective and the training of the staff. No camp or program should be permitted without those three elements. Otherwise, looks to be brand building with lots of fluff…
Not so much a critic as confused: you want people to pay to “see what it’s like to work in a Chick-fil-A”? Oh yeah! This will either be the surprise hit of 2024… or a rare miss.
It is an obvious loyalty program by Chick-fil-A to strengthen ties with their frequent customers. Any parent who is comfortable serving their kids to a fried food brand…well, you can create a day camp around almost any ordinary function, such as garbage trucks, ambulances, or military vehicles, and kids will be fascinated – but that doesn’t make it right.
When I was a teen working at a fast-food restaurant, the franchisee would hold free tours for elementary school kids during the summer. I thought it was a clever and inexpensive promotion. Chick-fil-A might have avoided the backlash if they hadn’t charged for their summer camp, aka promotion.
This is a great opportunity for kids to have fun learning about business and the food they love. For the parents, they can point their kids to what a good work ethic looks like. And for Chik-fil-A, it’s upside in that maybe one day kids are inspired to join the team. Anyone buying into a worst case scenario here in Chik-fil-A taking advantage of free labor from kids were probably already wishing to see it.
This is a smart idea. We did a similar camp at a bakery, when I was a young student, and the information we learned about running a business was invaluable.
Love the idea that kids can test and try things long before having to decide. Instills confidence and lets them dream.
This is a dubious position for Chick-fil-A to be in. Their target market are families with children ages 5-12, not 5-12 year old children. This is not a camp, and showing young children “behind the scenes” workings of a restaurant for 3 hours, without parents being present, is a poor position for Chick-fil-A.
How is this any different from a make your own pizza party at Pizza Hit when I was a kid? Although I personally have issues with some of Chick-fil-A’s policies and practices, this isn’t one of them. Seems like a fun activity for kids and nothing wrong with highlighting this job as well. My kids would love it…especially if it was a chain that was more supportive of the LGBTQIA + community.
One of the things Rich and I specialize in is collecting and helping to run in-store events and promotions with indie retailers. One of them is the Kid’s Store Tour. Ours isn’t a nine day event like Chick-fil-A’s, it’s a single day class trip for elementary school kids, but the premise is similar: Teach kids what it’s like to work in a retail store. Kid’s can’t get enough of it.
This is one Chick-fil-A franchisee hosting an event. It’s clever, it’s fun, and it teaches children responsibility.
How wonderful. And getting kids interested in retail at an early age is brilliant. You never know who you’re going to inspire to open their own shop or brand!
Chick-fil-A is offering a very worthwhile event for young people that helps to expose them to how a true and successful process works. It has nothing to do with “child labor.” I would love to see other businesses follow the lead of Chick-fil-A, and offer similar opportunities for kids. It is educational, and if Chick-fil-A inspires the kids to want to be part of its own organization one day, all the better, for everyone. Db
Chick-fil-A is taking an opportunity to teach and educate kids about restaurant operations, about responsibility, about customer experience, about ownership…all skills that are so important in any life-long career. How anyone can apply the phrase ‘child labor’ to this example is beyond me. Other companies have offered similar type programs geared to their brands. Home Depot comes to mind where they offered parents and kids the opportunity on Saturday mornings to come in for mini-fix-it classes, showing kids how to repair and build things. The teachable moments in these programs are priceless.
I’m all for ‘behind the scenes’ days at successful businesses, but not a fan of the ‘summer camp’ positioning, nor the fee. Make it an experience day. Make it free to make it more accessible to all. This is a marketing/promotional program, so fund it like one. But also, provide clarity around the background checks undertaken and training provided for all staff involved with the program.
Sounds a bit like summer day care…… If the families want it, which they so clearly did by fully booking the program – why not. I can’t imagine the legal and insurance aspects of this kind of program though.
I’m in the positive camp here. Chick-fil-A would never, ever cross the line into “child labor.” When I was eight years old, I worked at my grandfather’s pharmacy cleaning, painting, counting greeting cards, etc. I felt a sense of pride when I learned how to work the cash register. It was a blast. I’ll bet the kids going to camp to be a Chick-fil-A team member love the restaurant and want to be on the team. This is a clever idea to endear the franchise to the community and its loyal customers.
Completely agree, I would have loved to have done this at Chick-fil-A when I was a kid! It would have been a great adventure!
Me: “Excuse me sir, do we get a free milkshake today?”
They are overthinking it. This is going back to basics: teaching kids early on about skills and responsibilities. How is this child labor? They are being taught, fed, entertained, and even get a T-shirt for $35. What a deal.
I’m a big fan of the program. Kids are very familiar with how the digital world works but are lacking in how to navigate the physical world. Kids are curious about how businesses work. One of my kids’ favorite field trips was BizTown in Southern California. In this field trip, they each played a role in a town and learned how businesses and government operate. We need more of this, not less.
Social media highlights the negative especially fake outrage. This is not remotely close to “Forced Labor” is it more like a retail/QSR workshop for kids to get some perspective on the real world and it is a choice which is the opposite of forced. Congrats to Chick-fil-A for continuing to innovate and try new things that could benefit their customer community.
I see both sides of the argument. On one hand, the camp can be a fun and educational experience for children, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at how a popular restaurant operates. On the other hand, the criticism regarding child labor is understandable, especially if the activities resemble actual work tasks. The key lies in the clarity and nature of the activities provided. Additionally, you don’t usually pay to attend a camp, so the fee aspect also raises questions. Just have fun while doing it!
I don’t understand the comments about free camps. Every camp I ever attended and every camp my children ever attended cost money.
The suggestions that the program borders on slave labor are absurd. They’re 12 years old and younger; you couldn’t get meaningful work out of them if you tried. Furthermore, if they don’t have fun they won’t go back for the second day.
What if the franchisee is merely creating a fun environment for children because he cares about them? No different than sponsoring a Little League baseball team. Many decades later I’m still grateful to Freyvogel Funeral Home for sponsoring my team. But I don’t plan on using them anytime soon. It’s tough to create loyal ten year olds.
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What a fuss over nothing! Chick-fil-A is not using these children to work in its restaurants. It is showing them how restaurants work and providing them with a bit of fun. Plus the kids get a meal and some goodies to take away. This is an opportunity, not exploitation. Some people need to get ahold of themselves before coming out with reactionary nonsense.
When did picking up social skills and learning how things work become a bad thing?
I don’t know. I think it’s a great thing! And anyone who dislikes the program does not have to participate.
I love teaching work ethic and responsibility any time we can get it. However, we have no insight into the curriculum, the learning objective and the training of the staff. No camp or program should be permitted without those three elements. Otherwise, looks to be brand building with lots of fluff…
Not so much a critic as confused: you want people to pay to “see what it’s like to work in a Chick-fil-A”? Oh yeah! This will either be the surprise hit of 2024… or a rare miss.
It is an obvious loyalty program by Chick-fil-A to strengthen ties with their frequent customers. Any parent who is comfortable serving their kids to a fried food brand…well, you can create a day camp around almost any ordinary function, such as garbage trucks, ambulances, or military vehicles, and kids will be fascinated – but that doesn’t make it right.
When I was a teen working at a fast-food restaurant, the franchisee would hold free tours for elementary school kids during the summer. I thought it was a clever and inexpensive promotion. Chick-fil-A might have avoided the backlash if they hadn’t charged for their summer camp, aka promotion.
This is a great opportunity for kids to have fun learning about business and the food they love. For the parents, they can point their kids to what a good work ethic looks like. And for Chik-fil-A, it’s upside in that maybe one day kids are inspired to join the team. Anyone buying into a worst case scenario here in Chik-fil-A taking advantage of free labor from kids were probably already wishing to see it.
This is a smart idea. We did a similar camp at a bakery, when I was a young student, and the information we learned about running a business was invaluable.
Love the idea that kids can test and try things long before having to decide. Instills confidence and lets them dream.
This is a dubious position for Chick-fil-A to be in. Their target market are families with children ages 5-12, not 5-12 year old children. This is not a camp, and showing young children “behind the scenes” workings of a restaurant for 3 hours, without parents being present, is a poor position for Chick-fil-A.
How is this any different from a make your own pizza party at Pizza Hit when I was a kid? Although I personally have issues with some of Chick-fil-A’s policies and practices, this isn’t one of them. Seems like a fun activity for kids and nothing wrong with highlighting this job as well. My kids would love it…especially if it was a chain that was more supportive of the LGBTQIA + community.
One of the things Rich and I specialize in is collecting and helping to run in-store events and promotions with indie retailers. One of them is the Kid’s Store Tour. Ours isn’t a nine day event like Chick-fil-A’s, it’s a single day class trip for elementary school kids, but the premise is similar: Teach kids what it’s like to work in a retail store. Kid’s can’t get enough of it.
This is one Chick-fil-A franchisee hosting an event. It’s clever, it’s fun, and it teaches children responsibility.
How wonderful. And getting kids interested in retail at an early age is brilliant. You never know who you’re going to inspire to open their own shop or brand!
Chick-fil-A is offering a very worthwhile event for young people that helps to expose them to how a true and successful process works. It has nothing to do with “child labor.” I would love to see other businesses follow the lead of Chick-fil-A, and offer similar opportunities for kids. It is educational, and if Chick-fil-A inspires the kids to want to be part of its own organization one day, all the better, for everyone. Db
Chick-fil-A is taking an opportunity to teach and educate kids about restaurant operations, about responsibility, about customer experience, about ownership…all skills that are so important in any life-long career. How anyone can apply the phrase ‘child labor’ to this example is beyond me. Other companies have offered similar type programs geared to their brands. Home Depot comes to mind where they offered parents and kids the opportunity on Saturday mornings to come in for mini-fix-it classes, showing kids how to repair and build things. The teachable moments in these programs are priceless.
I’m all for ‘behind the scenes’ days at successful businesses, but not a fan of the ‘summer camp’ positioning, nor the fee. Make it an experience day. Make it free to make it more accessible to all. This is a marketing/promotional program, so fund it like one. But also, provide clarity around the background checks undertaken and training provided for all staff involved with the program.
Sounds a bit like summer day care…… If the families want it, which they so clearly did by fully booking the program – why not. I can’t imagine the legal and insurance aspects of this kind of program though.
I’m in the positive camp here. Chick-fil-A would never, ever cross the line into “child labor.” When I was eight years old, I worked at my grandfather’s pharmacy cleaning, painting, counting greeting cards, etc. I felt a sense of pride when I learned how to work the cash register. It was a blast. I’ll bet the kids going to camp to be a Chick-fil-A team member love the restaurant and want to be on the team. This is a clever idea to endear the franchise to the community and its loyal customers.
Completely agree, I would have loved to have done this at Chick-fil-A when I was a kid! It would have been a great adventure!
Me: “Excuse me sir, do we get a free milkshake today?”
They are overthinking it. This is going back to basics: teaching kids early on about skills and responsibilities. How is this child labor? They are being taught, fed, entertained, and even get a T-shirt for $35. What a deal.
I’m a big fan of the program. Kids are very familiar with how the digital world works but are lacking in how to navigate the physical world. Kids are curious about how businesses work. One of my kids’ favorite field trips was BizTown in Southern California. In this field trip, they each played a role in a town and learned how businesses and government operate. We need more of this, not less.
Social media highlights the negative especially fake outrage. This is not remotely close to “Forced Labor” is it more like a retail/QSR workshop for kids to get some perspective on the real world and it is a choice which is the opposite of forced. Congrats to Chick-fil-A for continuing to innovate and try new things that could benefit their customer community.
I see both sides of the argument. On one hand, the camp can be a fun and educational experience for children, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at how a popular restaurant operates. On the other hand, the criticism regarding child labor is understandable, especially if the activities resemble actual work tasks. The key lies in the clarity and nature of the activities provided. Additionally, you don’t usually pay to attend a camp, so the fee aspect also raises questions. Just have fun while doing it!
I don’t understand the comments about free camps. Every camp I ever attended and every camp my children ever attended cost money.
The suggestions that the program borders on slave labor are absurd. They’re 12 years old and younger; you couldn’t get meaningful work out of them if you tried. Furthermore, if they don’t have fun they won’t go back for the second day.
What if the franchisee is merely creating a fun environment for children because he cares about them? No different than sponsoring a Little League baseball team. Many decades later I’m still grateful to Freyvogel Funeral Home for sponsoring my team. But I don’t plan on using them anytime soon. It’s tough to create loyal ten year olds.