Fans of Chick-fil-A’s original waffle-cut fries are likely cheering with their mouths full.
Chick-fil-A has confirmed to TODAY.com that it has restored its Waffle Potato Fries recipe to the original, meaning it no longer contains pea starch.
The change, which was first reported by AllRecipes on March 2, is reflected in the Chick-fil-A website’s FAQ section. There, the question, “Does your Waffle Fry recipe contain Pea Starch?” is answered with a straightforward, “No.”
On Jan. 4, 2025, Chick-fil-A confirmed to TODAY.com that it had made a “slight adjustment” to the chain’s popular side. At the time, the company said the new, pea starch-coated fries would have the “same great taste” while keeping the fries “crispier” for “longer.”
Fans felt differently, to put it mildly: Some politely asked the chain to “put them back,” while others were more direct, calling the pea-coated fries “awful,” “terrible,” and other insults that made it a very bad debut day for the side.
Parents of children with pea allergies also complained: One said their daughter’s allergy to the ingredient meant they could “no longer visit the restaurant due to allergy concerns and cross contamination.”
Another pointed out that some folks with peanut allergies also can’t eat peas due to cross-reactivity, as peanuts and peas are both legumes.
Chick-fil-A told TODAY.com at the time that the recipe change wasn’t new and had been served to folks for a year at that point. But since then, customers have consistently complained online about the change.
“They ruined the waffle fries!” reads a Reddit post from a year ago.
“Why? Why? Why?” the post continues. “Something that was so good and they ruined it!”
Now, once-apoplectic fans of the original recipe tasted something familiar and took to social media to confirm their hopeful and delicious suspicions.
“Yes!! They’ve been so much better recently,” remarked one.
“That’s probably why I ate too many over the wknd,” noted another.
There was at least one person who said they would “miss the pea starch fries,” describing them as “so crispy.”
“Are you a bot???” another user replied. “They were never good even when they were fresh.”
