Are you an employee at Chick-fil-A or thinking about working there? If so, you must ensure you are up to speed on the company’s drug-testing policy unless you want to risk losing your job.
Chick-fil-A doesn’t drug test its employees, according to comments online. But the company reserves the right to randomly test workers – especially those who get injured or look intoxicated. While pre-employment and in-employment drug tests are rare, those in management positions may face more regular testing.
Are you still concerned about Chick-fil-A and drug tests? In this review, I’ll piece together all the vital information I found online about Chick-fil-A and give you some general advice on drug tests. We’ll look at the types of tests and how to increase your chances of a pass.
Who is Chick-fil-A?
Chick-fil-A is one of the largest fast-food chains in the United States, with almost 2,800 stores nationwide. The family-owned business was founded in Hapeville, Georgia, by S. Truett Cathy all the way back in 1946.
As of February 2022, Chick-fil-A is still run by the Cathy family and has more than 35,500 employees. The fast-food restaurant mostly operates in the US but has a few locations in Canada.
Drug Tests and Chick-fil-A
Here’s the good news: drug tests are not generally part of Chick-fil-A’s company policy. Nowadays, many stores conduct stringent drug tests as part of pre-employment screening or randomly for employees.
Thankfully, this doesn’t happen at Chick-fil-A – but that doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. Coming into work looking stoned could be problematic, and if you suffer an injury at the workplace, there’s a high likelihood that you will be tested.
That said, most Chick-fil-A franchises have the power to enforce a drug-testing policy of their choosing. A handful of restaurants across the US may have stricter rules on drug use, although this seems uncommon.
Users on the ChickFilAWorkers Reddit Page have offered a realistic assessment of the situation at the fast-food restaurant.
An employee claims to have received a negative test despite smelling like weed at work! A now-deleted user suggested that Chick-fil-A doesn’t take drug testing too seriously since they can’t afford to lose their kitchen!
Ultimately, Chick-fil-A isn’t a particularly dangerous place to work. It’s not like you are at a warehouse operating heavy machinery or at a pharmacy dishing out prescription medication. If you can do the job, the higher-ups probably don’t care.
Who could get drug tested at Chick-fil-A?
With no pre-employment screening for applicants or random testing for employees, there are only a handful of situations where you might get tested at Chick-fil-A.
Some restaurants may be hotter on drug testing than others, depending on who is running them and the location. In a job market with high unemployment, restaurants might be stricter – it would be easier to replace employees.
But I’d say you would only need to be concerned if your drug use affects your ability to carry out the job. If you’re under the influence at work or stink of weed or alcohol, you’re more likely to be seen as a problem than if you keep your drug use discreet.
An accident could also land you in hot water. It’s common protocol to drug test employees after an accident at work for insurance purposes. In this case, blood tests are the typical way to check for the presence of illicit substances.
If you’re a standard employee working in the kitchen or as a cashier, it’s apparent that Chick-fil-A considers you a low priority for drug testing. But if you’re the restaurant manager or hold another position that involves people management, expect regular testing.
After all, those are the jobs that determine how successful the restaurant is. While one or two employees partaking in marijuana during their time off isn’t a problem, a manager who is stoned at work and not thinking clearly most definitely is.
What Drugs Does Chick-fil-A Check for on Tests?
The drug-testing reality at Chick-fil-A appears relaxed. But there’s no way of determining the specific policies of every restaurant online – so it’s best to be prepared.
In these tough economic times, I can understand you not wanting to take any risks. From what I can gather, when Chick-fil-A tests, they use 5-panel urine tests – a cheap, affordable, and reliable way of checking for drug use.
A 5-panel drug test can detect the following types of drugs: amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine, opiates, and PCP.
Unlike 9-panel urine tests, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methadone, and methamphetamines do not show up on a 5-panel test.
I’ve given you an overview of the classifications of drugs that the 5-panel urine tests used by Chick-fil-A look for, but what about specific substances?
Do legal hemp highs show up on a drug test? (Delta-8, Delta-10, HHC)
Recreational marijuana is only legal in a few states, but many hemp-derived, cannabis-like products are legal throughout the US. Annoyingly, although legal, these substances will trigger a positive drug test for marijuana.
Delta-8 and delta-10 are analogs of THC, the main component in cannabis. Meanwhile, HHC is a hydrogenated derivative of THC. Without getting into complex chemistry, all these cannabinoids have a similar structure.
Classic 5-panel tests are not very sophisticated. They are set up to detect THC metabolites and cannot differentiate between THC and nearly identical cannabinoids like delta-8 and delta-10. These THC analogs produce similar metabolites.
And if you test positive, your employer probably won’t care about the legal differences between THC and delta-8. They’ll still consider you as having been under the influence at work.
Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by delta-8, delta-10, and HHC products. I love these legal highs but am under no illusions about their drug test detectability. I’ll discuss detox options and synthetic urine options later in this post.
Does kratom show up on a 5-panel urine test?
No, you will not test positive on a 5-panel test due to kratom use. Despite having opiate-like properties and interacting with opioid receptors, kratom contains alkaloids, not opiates. Regular drug tests cannot detect kratom alkaloids.
Kratom is a legal substance in the US, although employers have gradually become warier about its use. Drug tests specifically designed for kratom do exist but remain relatively rare and not worth the investment for the likes of Chick-fil-A.
In theory, if an employer has a specific reason to worry about your kratom use, they could make you take a test. But I would suggest there is zero likelihood of this happening at Chick-fil-A for cashiers and kitchen staff.
Will my prescription medication cause a positive test?
Yes, amphetamine-based stimulants and opioid painkillers could result in a positive drug test. But this is nothing to panic about. Many prescription medications contain controlled substances that have a high risk of recreational abuse.
However, if you have access to these drugs via prescription, you aren’t doing anything wrong. Alert the company before getting tested about any medication you take, and have the relevant documents on hand to clarify your situation.
How Long Do Drugs Remain Detectable in Your Body?
Each drug remains detectable in your body for varying lengths of time. Since Chick-fil-A only uses 5-panel urine tests, I’ll focus specifically on the drugs covered by this type of test.
Amphetamines: Adderall, Dexedrine, and other amphetamine drugs are detectable in urine samples for up to five days after the last consumption.
Cannabinoids: THC metabolites linger in your urine for up to 30 days. While there is a lack of research, assume a similar situation for delta-8, delta-10, and HHC metabolites.
Cocaine: This renowned party drug removes itself from your system swiftly – it’s only detectable in urine samples for two to three days.
Opiates: Most opiate-based drugs remain detectable in urine samples for around 48 hours. However, heroin metabolites hang around in urine for up to one week.
PCP: This drug stays in urine for more than a week, longer than most drugs covered by a 5-panel test. PCP firsts show up in urine around six hours after being taken.
I should note these are rough estimates and come with caveats. The sensitivity of a drug test has an impact on how long it stays detectable. Strict tests with low thresholds are more likely to detect drug use than relaxed tests with high thresholds.
The amount you consume and how often you do so also affects the detection window in urine samples. If you smoke the occasional marijuana joint with friends, your THC metabolite levels will stay low.
However, if you’re a seasoned smoker who sparks up two or three joints daily, THC metabolites accumulate in your system and linger for several weeks. Your level of consumption also impacts your ability to detox.
Types of Drug Tests
There are four types of drug tests: urine, blood, hair, and saliva. I’ve seen nothing that suggests Chick-fil-A takes hair follicle or saliva samples. Therefore, I’ll stick to urine and blood tests in this section.
Urine
Urine tests are the go-to option for Chick-fil-A if they feel the need to conduct a drug test. You’ll be asked to provide a urine sample, possibly while under supervision.
The sample gets sent off for laboratory testing. The technician dunks each strip of the 5-panel test into the urine before analyzing the results. You should hear whether you are positive or negative within one or two working days.
Blood
Unlike urine tests, blood samples can only detect whether a drug is currently in your system and not the metabolites from past use. Blood tests are used less often than urine tests but work well in some circumstances.
If an employer suspects you are under the influence while at the workplace, a blood test would be the best way to find out. Similarly, if you have an accident at work, a blood test is the most efficient and reliable method to check whether you are on drugs.
I’ve never heard of anyone getting a blood drug test at Chick-fil-A. Indeed, if you end up in such a situation, you might have more pressing problems to worry about than a drug test.
Improve Your Chances of Passing a Drug Test
Maybe you’ll take my information on drug tests at Chick-fil-A as no cause for concern. But if you want to cover your bases, there are ways to boost your chances of passing a drug test should the dreaded moment arrive.
Clean out your system
You could try clearing your system naturally by drinking lots of water and purchasing detox products. High water intake dilutes your urine and any metabolites that might show up on a drug test.
Detox drinks and pills have also gone mainstream as employees seek to skirt the strict drug-testing policies of many companies. I have mixed views on these. Some require plenty of planning while still not guaranteeing you a clean test.
Invest in synthetic urine
Synthetic urine products represent a high-risk, high-reward approach to drug tests. With the correct product, a clean test is a certainty. But low-quality synthetic urines are easily detectable as fakes – and an illegitimate sample could jeopardize your employment.
Unsurprisingly, this is a Wild West market with no regulation and lots of misinformation. Several obscure brands sell synthetic urine, but it’s difficult to determine which ones are any good.
Furthermore, laboratories have wised up to the emergence of synthetic urines and have increased their efforts to spot them. A product that may have given you a clean test two years ago might not have all the features necessary to pass as real urine now.
The Sub-Solution Synthetic Urine still has a solid reputation, with all the ingredients and features an analyst would expect to see in genuine urine.
Of course, providing a synthetic urine sample is also a challenge if under supervision. Consider a product that comes with a prosthetic penis, such as the Monkey Dong.
Finally, if you go down the synthetic urine route, make sure you read all the instructions and practice beforehand so you can deliver on the big day!
