Chick-fil-A closed due to outlet fire; Here are other places to eat instead 

Authors: Joann Seow, Caitlyn Comeaux 

At 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 20, 2025, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Police Department (ULPD) was alerted of a fire at Chick-fil-A in the Student Union. The fire sparked from an outlet that a warmer appliance was plugged into and did not spread beyond the wall. No injuries were reported. 

At the time of the incident, as Chick-fil-A was operating as usual, employees were quickly alerted by the fire and notified the relevant authorities. The area was evacuated by ULPD and the Student Union staff. 

Upon arrival, the Lafayette Fire Department was able to get through the wall, which was smoking, and identified the source of the fire. In order to ventilate the smoke and clear the debris, the Student Union was closed at 9:45 p.m., instead of the usual closing time, 10 p.m. 

The Student Union reopened as per usual, however, Chick-fil-A is to remain closed until further notice as they carry out repair works to ensure that operations may resume safely and functionally. 

Sergeant Lance Frederick, public information officer at ULPD, said, “They [Lafayette Fire Department] had to kind of cut the wall. So that’s, that’s what’s going to keep Chick-fil-A closed, the repair of the wall. Because they had to cut through the tile and get to the outlet to make sure nothing around it was gonna catch [fire].” 

As the fire was isolated within the wall around the outlet and was quickly caught and put out, there were no other major damages to the kitchen and the restaurant. 

Updates on the closure of Chick-fil-A can be found on UL Lafayette Dining Services’ Instagram, @dine_ul. 

Now, being that Chick-fil-A is one of the most popular food places on campus, its absence is noticed by University students and staff. 

Jaya Henton, a junior secondary education major, commented, “I feel like they should’ve did more than just a note on the door about the closing since I walked all the way from Heritage [Apartments] to there just to get Chick-fil-A and it was closed.” 

Henton added, “Chick-fil-A is the only food place worth going to on campus other than Starbucks so it’s really disruptive.” Other students see Chick-fil-A’s closing as a break from the foot traffic it creates. Shandon Burrell, a junior psychology major, noted, “I think the Chick-fil-A being closed until further notice is a blessing in disguise. It gets packed fairly quickly and sometimes the workers get behind because of this. With it being closed, people on campus are forced to try other food locations on campus that they might find better.” 

“This could help cut down with the overall demand the workers at Chick-fil-A face day after day and could help the Chick-fil-A workers figure out a system that could help them combat the demand more efficiently.” 

Regarding some alternative places on campus to dine at, other locations in the Student Union are Starbucks, Smoothie King and McAllister’s. All of these locations take declining balance (DB). 

Outside of the Student Union, Campus Grounds is a coffee shop that sits on the corner of E St. Mary Blvd. and McKinley St.; however, Campus Grounds does not take DB. Declining balance is taken at Jazzman’s Cafe, located in the back of the first floor of the Dupré Library. 

Next to the Agnes Edwards residence hall, snacks and drinks can be purchased with DB at the Ragin’ Cajun Food Court. The food court also has a selection of meals ranging from chains such as Pizza Hut, Viva La Waffle and Hissho Sushi, along with virtual storefronts for Mr. Beast Burger, Pardon My Cheesesteak and Buddy V’s. 

Operating hours for all of these locations can be found on UL Lafayette’s website under Campus Food Services by going to Dining on Campus, then clicking on Menus and Locations.