Battle Creek Chick-fil-A may come to campus in a food truck next semester. Courtesy | Chick-fil-A

A Hillsdale College education may soon come with a side of waffle fries and Zesty Buffalo Sauce as Chick-fil-A and the college work toward bringing a food truck to campus next semester.

“The plan right now is to get a food truck to come down and be at sporting events or as a dining option for students and the community to come and purchase food,” said Tyler DeKoekkoek, owner and operator of the Battle Creek Chick-fil-A.

Tim Wells, associate vice president for administration, said plans for the food truck have not yet been finalized.

“At this point, we are continuing to discuss options and what might be possible and feasible,” Wells said in an email to The Collegian. “A food truck would allow the college community to be the recipient of the Chick-Fil-A product to a greater degree, which I believe would be well received.”

Wells said the food truck would be owned by the Battle Creek Chick-fil-A.

“Our hope, from what they have shared, is that the Battle Creek store may be awarded one in the 2025 calendar year and given our relationship with that location currently, that we may be able to benefit from it being at select college events and dates,” Wells said.

According to DeKoekkoek, the food truck would likely arrive on campus early next semester, but Chick-fil-A is still in discussions with the college right now, and plans are not yet set in stone.

“I don’t have a ton of confidence in when exactly it’s gonna happen, but I know the goal is really just to be available second semester,” DeKoekkoek said.

DeKoekkoek said the food truck will offer a wide range of food items from the Chick-fil-A menu, and students may have an opportunity to be employed on the truck.

“If and when, really just when, the food truck comes into action, the hope and plan is to have students work on the food truck, which will hopefully create excitement around the brand,” DeKoekkoek said.

DeKoekkoek said to start, the food truck will not be available every day on campus.

“I think the goal is to come more often than the Chick-fil-A in the dining hall, but I know that is a conversation that the college and Chick-fil-A is having together,” DeKoekkoek said.

Wells said it is unlikely that students would be able to use meal swipes at the food truck.

“Those decisions will be made at a later date,” Wells said. “However, it would be more likely that any meal swipe utilization would be kept to times that the product is offered in the cafeteria.”

Wells said no definitive decisions have been made  regarding a brick-and-mortar Chick-fil-A location on campus.

“Given the college’s current plans regarding capital projects, anything in this regard as it relates to a physical location on campus is not on the current horizon,” Wells said.

Chick-fil-A announced last month that a new location will open in Jackson next year, bringing the taste of a crispy chicken sandwich only 45 minutes away.

Junior Joseph “Hinson” Peed said if a Chick-fil-A food truck came to campus, he would eat there every day.

“I’m so glad we’re continuing our Christian legacy by bringing a Chick-fil-A food truck to campus,” Peed said. “This might just bring the college back into my good graces after tearing up the quad.”