Louisiana Chick-fil-A Charges $35 for One Day 'Summer Camp' for Kids

A store in Hammond, Louisiana, is offering a "behind the scenes look" for kids between the ages of five and 12. Parents are understandably divided.

By Carly May Gravley

June 19, 2024

This is what the future of summer camps looks like. v343790 via WikiCommons

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A Chick-fil-A in Louisiana has drawn national ire for a “summer camp” it offers to children as young as five years old.

For just $35, parents can unload their kids at a Hammond, Louisiana, store for three hours. There, the youngsters will hang out with Chick-fil-A “team leaders,” get a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work in fast food and learn a little about the hospitality industry. A t-shirt, a name tag and a “VIP lunch” are included.

Locally, the program was received well, and all of the sessions offered were filled within an hour. Parents praised Chick-fil-A for instilling some work ethic in the campers. Because that’s what this generation needs a little more of, right? These kindergarteners just don’t want to work anymore.

As the announcement of the local program spread nationwide, however, people were quick to call it out as a potential violation of child labor laws.
“If this wasn’t a ‘Christian’ company and say, a local McDonald’s, would y’all be over the moon for paying for the exploitation of your child?” asked one commenter on Facebook.

Representatives for the brand told Today that the campers are not doing the work of team members, and we’re inclined to take their word for it. After all, the initial description of the program said that the kids would be adjacent to the labor, but there’s no mention of them doing it themselves.

Even aside from the child labor allegations, however, the description of the program still raises some red flags among parents. For example, the “camp counselors” will be off-duty Chick-fil-A employees, and concerns have been raised over their qualifications in childcare. Watching 30 kids for three hours has slightly higher stakes than the average babysitting gig.

Other concerns have been raised over the principle of such a program. Even if the kids aren’t performing any of the job functions, some say, this early exposure to the magical world of fast food is intended to “teach 'em nice and early how to be corporate wage slaves,” as one commenter put it.

Or, as Chick-fil-A’s target demo might word it, “grooming.”

But maybe Chick-fil-A is one step closer to cracking the code. The kids may not be working, but the company might have unlocked a world of potential regardless. Maybe after all these years of debate and legislation, all child labor needed was a little rebranding.

The Chick-fil-A cow mascot will be there, for crying out loud. How bad could it possibly be?

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Carly May Gravley has been the staff music, food and culture writer for the Dallas Observer since October 2023. Before joining the staff, she freelanced for the Observer since 2019 and also contributed to Consequence of Sound, the Texas Tribune and Central Track. In addition to writing and reporting, Carly is a concert and portrait photographer and an alumna of Collin College’s Commercial Photography program.

Contact: Carly May Gravley

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