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Restaurants operate on thin margins, so diversifying what they offer has given us consumers everything from frivolous gobs of merch to grocery store products. The latter is a particularly exciting category, because copycat recipes awaken my inner home cook in a way so many other recipes don’t. I think it has to do with the fact that, if I’m making an imitation of something else, I’ll know for a fact if I’ve gotten it just right. Or, in the case of something like Nando’s store-bought peri-peri sauces, I can douse an already beloved condiment on a whole host of dishes I won’t find at the restaurant (breakfast tacos most recently). Now, per CNN Business, Chick-fil-A is getting in on the game, having announced that it will begin selling its signature Chick-fil-A sauce and Polynesian sauces in grocery stores throughout Florida this April.


“We’re seeing a blurring of lines between all food channels,” said Chick-fil-A spokesperson Michael Patrick to CNN, in reference to the way that restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory and IHOP are increasingly hopping to grocery shelves with new products. “We are looking to learn more about the retail channel.” (This is great intel. Next time I want to go on a convenience store candy spending spree, I can say that I myself am looking to learn more about the retail channel.)

I’ve never eaten Chick-fil-A in my life, but I can understand the excitement and appeal of this retail product. Hell, you can even use it on a Sunday! What other fast food sauces, condiments, etc. should get slapped with a branded label and debut at a grocery store near you? If McDonald’s sold its neon-green pickle slices in two-gallon jugs, I’d build a backyard shed to store as many as possible. I know I’m not the only one.