By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
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What to do after a Chick-fil-A burn
- Cool a minor burn under cool running water, not ice water, for 5 to 30 minutes, and do not pull off clothing stuck to the skin. Call 911 if the burn is about the size of your palm or larger or looks full-thickness (MedlinePlus).
- Get burn center care for deep burns. The American Burn Association lists deep burns of the genitals, perineum, hands, feet, face or a joint for immediate burn center consultation (ABA referral guidelines).
- Keep the bag, cup, lid and soup bowl, even if empty. In the Florida case, how the bag was packed is part of the claim.
- Save the order record from the receipt or app, with the store and time.
- Photograph the burn every day for the first two weeks, next to a coin or ruler.
- Note the window worker’s name, and have a lawyer send the operator an evidence preservation letter within days so it keeps the video. Our after-a-burn checklist covers the rest.
Beverly Law is not affiliated with Chick-fil-A.
Who runs your Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A says it serves food in “more than 3,000 restaurants in 48 states,” plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada (Chick-fil-A support page), and that “Most Owner-Operators own only one restaurant” (Chick-fil-A, Who We Are). Franchise Times, citing the chain’s disclosure document, counted 58 company-owned units in 2023 against 2,494 franchised (Franchise Times). In April 2026 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported 3,287 U.S. locations after 178 net openings in 2025, and system-wide sales of nearly $24 billion (AJC).
Summarizing Wall Street Journal reporting in February 2025, Fortune said drive-up window orders were about 60% of Chick-fil-A’s revenue the year before (Fortune).
In California, the state Supreme Court held in Patterson v. Domino’s Pizza that a franchisor answers for a franchisee’s workers only if it kept or took on a general right to control how those employees did their jobs day to day (Patterson v. Domino’s Pizza, 2014).
The hot items on the menu
Chick-fil-A describes its filet as “hand-breaded, pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil” (menu). The menu lists Chicken Noodle Soup with egg noodles “in a hearty broth” (menu), and the company has promoted Chicken Tortilla Soup as a winter item (Chick-fil-A). A Thrive Farmers hot coffee blend joined the permanent U.S. menu in September 2020, according to CNN Newsource (WKMG).
Chick-fil-A’s menu and help pages, as far as we found, do not say how hot it serves coffee or soup. The Consumer Product Safety Commission gives these hot-water burn times (CPSC):
| Water temperature | Exposure that causes a burn (CPSC) |
|---|---|
| 150°F | 2 seconds (third-degree, most adults) |
| 140°F | 6 seconds |
| 130°F | 30 seconds |
| 120°F | 5 minutes (could cause third-degree) |
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Reported customer burn cases
Leigh Mehalick’s suit (Commerce, Georgia, filed 2019). Leigh Mehalick, an Athens woman, sued Chick-fil-A and its restaurant on Highway 441 in Commerce, filing in Fulton County court. She says the second of two large hot coffees she ordered at the drive-thru spilled into her lap. According to the AJC, she claims the coffee was handed over with “a defective lid, or one that was not on tightly,” and the suit says she suffered severe and permanent burns with about $21,000 in medical expenses so far. Location owner Margaret Phillips said in a statement, “We are aware of the complaint from August, and conducted a full investigation at that time,” and “The safety of our guests is of the utmost priority at Chick-fil-A Commerce” (AJC; WSB-TV). We found no reported outcome.
Soup spill at a Middleburg, Florida drive-thru (filed 2024). A Clay County woman says hot soup from the Middleburg Chick-fil-A drive-thru spilled on Aug. 2, 2022, as she reached back into the bag for a napkin; her attorney told First Coast News it went “all over her abdomen, groin, legs, thighs.” According to First Coast News, her complaint alleges the soup was “unreasonably” hot, that no one gave her a verbal warning about the temperature, and that the bag was packed with the napkins under the food. The suit names the franchise owner, JTAJE LLC, and Chick-fil-A’s corporate entity, and neither responded to the station (First Coast News). WOKV reported on Feb. 28, 2024 that she had second- and third-degree burns and seeks at least $50,000 (WOKV). We found no reported outcome.
We found no reported Chick-fil-A customer burn case from California, Texas or Washington in the sources we reviewed.
Burns to Chick-fil-A workers reported to OSHA
Federal OSHA publishes the severe injury reports employers send it. In the data file covering January 2015 through November 2025, three burn reports list Chick-fil-A as the employer, all from hot cooking oil and all with the worker hospitalized (OSHA Severe Injury Reports):
| Date | Place | What the report says |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 3, 2020 | Montgomery, Alabama | A nearby cooker’s lid came open; hot peanut oil and steam caused second-degree burns to arms, neck and face |
| Nov. 12, 2021 | St. Clairsville, Ohio | An arm slipped into a pressure fryer vat; first- and second-degree burns to hand, wrist and forearm |
| Sept. 28, 2024 | El Paso, Texas | A cart of hot oil buckets hit a bump; oil spilled on a foot, causing second-degree burns and loss of skin |
OSHA says the file covers only incidents under federal OSHA jurisdiction. Restaurants in California and Washington answer to those states’ own OSHA-approved plans, while Texas, Alabama and Ohio fall under federal OSHA (OSHA State Plans), so a burn at a California or Washington Chick-fil-A would not show up in this table.
Worker burns and workers’ compensation
A burned crew member usually files for workers’ compensation through the operator’s company. Other claims depend on the state.
- California: a comp claim does not take away the worker’s right to sue anyone other than the employer for the full harm (Labor Code § 3852), such as the maker of a cooker lid that opened under pressure.
- Texas: comp is the exclusive remedy against an employer that carries it, with a narrow exception for deaths (Labor Code § 408.001). If the operator of a Texas Chick-fil-A did not carry comp, making it a nonsubscriber, a burned crew member can sue it for negligence, and the operator loses the defenses that the worker shared the blame or assumed the risk (§ 406.033). A claim against a negligent outside party, such as an equipment maker, stays open either way (§ 417.001). After a burn like the El Paso report, the first question is whether that operator carried comp.
- Washington: a worker may seek damages from a third person not in the worker’s same employ (RCW 51.24.030).
Minors and fault rules
| State | Minors | Your share of fault |
|---|---|---|
| California | Paused until 18, except against public entities (CCP § 352) | Lowers the award, never bars it (Li v. Yellow Cab) |
| Texas | Paused until 18 (CPRC § 16.001) | No recovery above 50% (CPRC § 33.001) |
| Washington | Paused until 18 (RCW 4.16.190) | Lowers the award, never bars it (RCW 4.22.005) |
Related pages
Burn injury lawyer · Drive-thru burns · Jack in the Box burns · McDonald’s burns · Starbucks burns · Burns at work · Texas burn injuries
Talk to a burn injury lawyer
If a Chick-fil-A drink, soup or fryer burned you, call Beverly Law at (310) 552-6959 for a free, confidential talk in English or Spanish. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Common questions
Can I sue Chick-fil-A for a burn?
Yes, when the evidence shows the restaurant or a product maker caused it, as Leigh Mehalick alleged in Georgia about a defective or loose lid. Keep the cup and lid, because their condition can show whether the lid was on tightly.
How much is a Chick-fil-A burn lawsuit worth?
It depends on the depth of the burn, the treatment, scarring and time missed from work. We found no reported verdict or settlement in a Chick-fil-A burn case; the $21,000 in the Mehalick suit was medical expenses so far, and the Florida suit’s $50,000 is a minimum amount sought.
How long do I have to sue Chick-fil-A?
Two years in California (CCP § 335.1) and Texas (CPRC § 16.003), and three years in Washington (RCW 4.16.080), with the clock for a child generally paused until 18.
I work at Chick-fil-A and was burned by fryer oil. Can I sue?
Against your own employer, usually only workers’ comp, unless it is a Texas operator without comp coverage, which you can sue for negligence. A claim against an outside company, such as the maker of a fryer that failed, is possible in all three states.
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Related pages
Sources
- Chick-fil-A, "Who We Are" (48 states; "Most Owner-Operators own only one restaurant") (chick-fil-a.com)
- Chick-fil-A customer support, "How many Chick-fil-A restaurant locations are there?" (more than 3,000 restaurants) (chick-fil-a.com)
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Chick-fil-A grew U.S. sales to nearly $24B last year" (April 9, 2026) (ajc.com)
- Franchise Times, Chick-fil-A franchise disclosure figures (April 2024) (franchisetimes.com)
- Fortune / Morning Brew, drive-thru share of revenue, citing The Wall Street Journal (Feb. 4, 2025) (fortune.com)
- Chick-fil-A menu, Chick-fil-A Filet (chick-fil-a.com)
- Chick-fil-A menu, Chicken Noodle Soup (chick-fil-a.com)
- Chick-fil-A, "5 cozy menu items to heat up your winter" (chick-fil-a.com)
- WKMG ClickOrlando / CNN Newsource, Thrive Farmers hot coffee (Sept. 10, 2020) (clickorlando.com)
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mehalick suit (Feb. 28, 2019; filed in Fulton County, $21,000 medical expenses) (ajc.com)
- WSB-TV, Mehalick suit (owner's statement) (wsbtv.com)
- First Coast News (via 5newsonline.com), Middleburg soup suit
- WOKV, Middleburg soup suit (Feb. 28, 2024) (wokv.com)
- U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA Severe Injury Reports (data file January 2015 to November 2025; report IDs 2020098407, 20 (osha.gov)
- OSHA, State Plans (California and Washington operate State Plans; Texas is under federal OSHA) (osha.gov)
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Avoiding Tap Water Scalds (Doc. 5098) (cpsc.gov)
- American Burn Association, Guidelines for Burn Patient Referral (ameriburn.org)
- MedlinePlus, Burns (first aid) (medlineplus.gov)
- MedlinePlus en español, Quemaduras (medlineplus.gov)
- Patterson v. Domino's Pizza, LLC (2014) 60 Cal.4th 474 (scocal.stanford.edu)
- Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804 (scocal.stanford.edu)
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 352 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Cal. Labor Code § 3852 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Labor Code § 408.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Labor Code § 406.033 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Labor Code § 417.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- RCW 4.16.080 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 4.16.190 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 4.22.005 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 51.24.030 (app.leg.wa.gov)
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.