Have you ever bitten into a nice, juicy Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich and wondered who made it? Or a tasty cookie from Crumbl? The answer might be closer than you think. Many Madison students work at Chick-Fil-A, Crumbl and other popular local businesses to gain valuable work experience,  build relationships and  earn spending money. 

One such student is Vince Tatro (’24), who works at Chick-Fil-A. 

“I either do front counter or drinks inside, then in the drive thru I do expo which is just giving people their food and talking to them,” Tatro said when asked what his position is.“That’s what makes Chick-Fil-A Chick Fil-A, the human interaction and connection.”

Tatro emphasizes that one of the things that makes Chick-Fil-A different from other restaurants is their purposeful intention to provide a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for all their patrons. To create this they have someone whose purpose is to talk to the customers (expo). Besides Tatro, many other Madison students work at this popular local restaurant, and for good reason. First of all, it’s close to school, so it’s an easy walk or drive from most people’s houses, or from the school itself. Another reason is Chick-Fil-A’s hiring practices. You don’t have to do a whole lot of work in order to get a job there, and it’s not super competitive. Tatro only had to go through two rounds of interviews, and even that was more than usual, since he applied in the summer.

Besides Chick-Fil-A, another popular local spot for Madison students to work at is Crumbl Cookies on Maple Avenue. One student employee is Madilyn Tapp (’24), who has been working there for a little over a month.

“It’s a nice break after school,” Tapp said when asked why she enjoys her job. 

She mentions that it isn’t  super hard or demanding, which adds to the enjoyment of it. She generally either rolls dough for the cookies or is a cashier. Another advantage of working at Crumbl is the tips. Tapp typically (no pun intended) gets $1.50 in tips each hour. She works with some of her friends and has made some new ones through the job as well.

Tatro, Tapp and many other students work at businesses all over Vienna. They make your sandwiches, french fries and oversized cookies. So the next time you bite into one of them, remember that it might be that weird kid in your history class who made it. Hopefully they didn’t sneeze in your food.