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Mercedes Benz-Stadium, the soon-to-open, state-of-the-art home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC, has an impressive dining lineup that includes Atlanta fast-food staple Chick-fil-A. The Falcons play the majority of their football games on Sundays. Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays.
These facts have created a scandal that is receiving coverage around the country.
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Folks, that’s wild.
The thing is, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host more than just Falcons games. Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC (which is mentioned right up there in the opening line of this post) is also a tenant. The Five Stripes, as they’re known among supporters, have eight regular-season games at the stadium this fall, and only three of them are on Sundays. Next year, Atlanta United will play 18 regular-season home games, many of which will fall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
There’s more. In addition to its two primary tenants, The Benz will host college football games on some fall Saturdays, concerts throughout the year, Super Bowls, and NCAA basketball tournament games. There will be plenty of opportunities for the stadium’s visitors to grab a sandwich from a chain that boasts more than 2,000 locations around the country.
Falcons fans will indeed miss out on Chick-fil-A during most games. Fortunately, there are other fried chicken sandwich options at the stadium, including a dish at Top Chef alum Kevin Gillespie’s Gamechanger that is called the Closed-on-Sunday chicken sandwich. It shouldn’t take too much thinking to guess why Gillespie applied that name to the menu item. And, Gillespie’s version is better, so fans should choose it even when Chick-fil-A is open.
There’s more to life, and stadium food, than Chick-fil-A. Everything’s going to be okay.
• Kevin Gillespie, Fox Bros., The Iberian Pig Will Serve Fans at the Atlanta Falcons’ New Stadium [EATL]
• Two Urban Licks Team Heads Private Club/Restaurant at Mercedes-Benz Stadium [EATL]
• All Sports Coverage [EATL]
