[chickens clucking]
[upbeat music]
[Morgan Spurlock]
Good morning.
[TV host]
Well, you know his name,
you know his face,
the director, producer,
actor, and writer
of the Academy Award nominee
Best Documentary,
"Super Size Me."
Is there any props or anything
I need to know about?
Is it just you?
Just me.
[producer]
Camera one, medium shot.
-He's joining us live
this morning.
-Good morning.
Good Morning.
Thanks for being here.
[woman]
Well, there is a new restaurant
to cluck about.
It's going to be
a chicken restaurant.
Brought to Central Ohio
by Morgan Spurlock.
The star of the documentary
"Super Size Me."
Now he's opening
his own restaurant,
right here in Central Ohio.
With new paint outside
and brown paper covering
whatever is going on inside.
Is it possible that we are all
subject to one giant prank?
-You open tomorrow?
-We open tomorrow,
11 a.m. grand opening.
[cheers and applause]
[Morgan]
Now, I know what
you're thinking.
How did a guy like me get
into a business like this?
Well, it all started when I
received a very special email.
"Hello, I'm reaching out
from 72andSunny,
the advertising agency
for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's.
We're exploring a concept for
a script with Morgan Spurlock.
He comes in one of our
restaurants to expose us
as a bad fast-food brand,
then he discovers
that we're actually doing
a lot of great things;
all-natural meat,
made-from-scratch biscuits,
hand-breaded chicken.
So we're actually
doing good for fast food.
We'd love to know
your thoughts."
My thoughts are...
you gotta be fucking kidding me.
But it made me wonder,
have things really changed?
Welcome to Burger King.
[man] The new garden-fresh
salads and wraps.
[woman] Wendy's new
black bean burger.
[Morgan] Are things actually
getting better?
Has fast food gotten healthier?
-Absolutely.
-I think so.
-I would say yes.
-It's better for you
and delicious.
They wouldn't believe
it's Taco Bell.
[Morgan]
With 44% Americans eating
fast-food at least once a week,
better would actually
be pretty great.
We got some new salads
on the menu.
Dressing on the side.
Dressing on the side,
that's not a problem.
[Morgan] At the same time, it's
not like Big Macs and Whoppers
are suddenly off the menu.
-Meechie, you want a Whopper?
-[announcer] Yeah, he wants one.
[Morgan] But look...
now they have kale.
McDonald's to call on kale.
[man] They said
they're getting kale.
-McDonald's?
-Oh, yeah.
[laughing]
The nation's obesity epidemic...
[reporter]
The country's biggest
health threat.
A new study finds
2/3 of Americans
are overweight or obese.
[Morgan] So if we're
not getting any healthier,
has fast-food truly
turned a corner?
So much that they think
a guy like me...
[high pitched voice]
You'll not talk to anybody.
...could actually
be a spokesperson
for a company like this?
[announcer] The most American
Thick Burger, only at Carl's Jr.
[Morgan] No, something's
definitely not adding up.
Mmm.
[Morgan]
To get to the bottom of it...
-Would you like
to supersize it tonight?
-Oh, yes I would.
...I could go back
on an all-fast-food diet.
[retches]
Oh, give me a minute.
But something tells me this
calls for a different approach.
[multiple voices]
Better... New... Fresh...
[Morgan] You see,
my dad always told me
if something seems
too good to be true...
it probably is.
Now, if I've learned anything
out of making a career
out of questionable
life choices it's that
sometimes the only way to find
the truth and solve a problem
is to become a part
of that problem.
[chickens cackling]
[elevator ring]
-Hey, man.
-Morgan, [laughing] how are you?
-How are you?
-Great to see you,
looking great.
-So, um, I had an idea.
-Yes? Awesome.
And I thought if anybody
could kind of help me explore
and figure out it would be you.
-OK. Right.
-'Cause you've had experience
in the fast-food industry.
So, um...
-I want to start...
-Mm-hmm.
I want to start my own
fast-food restaurant.
[laughs]
-[Morgan] I want you
to give me some advice.
-[man] OK.
I want to open my own
fast-food restaurant.
-[laughs]
-Yeah.
Is that a fact?
Wait, say that again.
I want to open
a fast-food restaurant.
-You do?
-Yes.
So, do you think it's a,
do you think I'd have a shot?
I don't know if you can be able
to season the food right
'cause you're not a chef.
But I would make it a given,
based on your integrity,
that the quality of the food
is gonna be spot on.
You know, having done
"Super Size Me,"
I think authenticity
is everything.
And I think
honesty is everything.
-OK.
-Does that make sense to you?
Yes. Yes.
Tell me what kind of food
you think it would be.
Um...
-Pizza, salad.
-Um...
Vegetables, grain bowls,
Mediterranean.
What do you want to do?
What is it gonna be?
-It better be good.
-[laughs]
-[Morgan] Hey, I know
it won't be easy.
-You're crazy.
But it's not like
Little Caesars
was built in a day.
-[announcer] Pizza! Pizza!
-And these guys do have a point.
Customers will
come to my restaurant
with certain expectations.
Expectations like honesty
and integrity.
So in today's world, what does
integrity even taste like?
-Does it taste like a burger?
-[announcer] The Baconator.
After all, with the rise
of Shake Shack, Smash Burger,
and Five Guys,
burgers are
a pretty good business.
But at the same time,
no one's claiming burgers
are suddenly good for you.
So what is healthier?
What's different?
What's a blank canvas?
Something familiar
but unassuming.
Something common but still
packed with delicious potential.
Something like...
-[chicken clucks]
-...chicken.
[singer]
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
[rooster crows]
Right now, at any given time,
there's over 20 billion chickens
clucking around the globe.
That's more than three chickens
to every human on Earth,
making it the most
farmed animal on the planet.
Wendy's, McDonald's,
and Chick-fil-A
all go through
1.4 billion pounds of chicken
per year alone.
That's 3.7 million pounds
per day
and 43 pounds of chicken
per second.
But most importantly,
chicken is a lean meat.
It's accessible, affordable,
and if any fast food could
be considered healthy,
it has to be chicken.
Mm-hmm.
Chicken's a wonderful product.
It's not a bad idea.
It's gonna be healthier.
-It's an inexpensive food.
-Yeah.
Matter of fact, we are more
likely to eat chicken
than we are to eat beef,
a beef-based product.
Chicken overtook it
a couple of years ago
in--in--in its importance
to our diet.
How many people
are doing better chicken?
I feel like I haven't seen--
I've seen better burgers,
but I haven't seen a lot
of better chicken.
There's a chain
in this country, Chick-fil-A,
who is doing fantastic.
-Yeah.
-Fantastic! And what
are they doing?
-Selling chicken.
-As?
-As a sandwich.
-As a sandwich.
In fact, the chicken sandwich
is slowly becoming
the new burger.
-Sandwiches.
-Sandwiches.
That's--we love--
the number one food
eaten in this country
is a sandwich.
-Not chicken on a bone?
-No, no, no. It's inconvenient.
-Messy.
-Exactly.
And what's the beauty
of a sandwich?
Yeah. I can drive and eat it.
-It's very portable.
-Right.
We like sandwiches.
-Yeah.
-[laughs]
So, what advice
would you give me now,
as I'm going down the path of
starting my own restaurant?
My advice to you would be,
you can't just have the same
sandwich everybody else has.
-Right.
-You have to give me...
some reason why
this one is different.
Yeah.
[Morgan] Harry's right.
-For every successful Big Mac...
-[all] Big Mac.
...there's been an equally
unsuccessful Bell Beefer,
The short-lived
Wendy's Frescata,
And, of course...
McPizza.
[announcer]
McDonald's Pizza.
[Morgan]
So how does a highly
competitive industry
design the perfect sandwich?
You know, a sandwich
isn't just a sandwich.
Everyone has--there's
so many choices out there.
So why should someone pick you?
[Morgan]
There are consultants...
[Darby]
What makes you amazing?
[Morgan] Strategists...
Is it the product?
Is it the place?
Is it the way that it's ordered?
Food is an experience.
If you could pick
at least three.
I think it's real.
Fun. Trendsetting.
But I think it's provocative.
It's exciting, but it's
gonna be a big task.
-I mean, it's
fiercely competitive.
-Yeah.
[Morgan] But most importantly,
there are companies
like CCD Innovation.
[man on intercom]
CCD Innovation.
-Hey, it's Morgan Spurlock.
-[buzzer ring]
-I'm Christine
-Great to see you.
-Pleasure to meet you.
-Kimberly. Welcome.
OK, let's come this way.
CCD Innovations
has teams of chefs
dedicated to creating
some of the industry's
most successful menu items.
[Kimberly]
This is the kitchen.
This is an artisanal pita
with a spicy sauce.
So I used a gluten-free waffle
with maple syrup
and bacon in the coating.
I wanted to try corn flour.
I finally centered
on the crepe.
The kitchen here,
kitchen lab, frankly,
is where we marry business
strategy and culinary trends...
[Morgan]
Yeah.
...with culinary art
and commercialization.
So that's essentially
what our company does.
-Pickles and herbs.
-Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds.
Nostalgic breads.
[Morgan] They are masters
at forecasting market trends
and coming up with menu items
that customers crave.
For example the Sriracha Burger
from Jack in the Box.
-Slew-racha.
-No, Sri-ra-cha.
We did the BK shots
for Burger King.
Oh, I just wanna squeeze 'em.
And, in fact, we were the group
that created the Gordita.
Viva Gorditas.
And this is why I'm here,
because I need people who
are infinitely smarter than me
to help me figure this out.
At least in that spot.
Yeah, and who--who understand
kind of what this business--
what it takes to actually
be successful in this business.
OK. So what is
behind this for you?
-Sure.
-What's your inspiration?
What's your motivation?
You know, why are you
wanting to do this?
Yeah, well, I think...
what I've seen in the last,
you know, 12 years
is there's been this big trend,
this big push towards healthier
fare, healthier options.
And I said, if I'm gonna
focus on something healthier
I should already be focusing on
the choices people are making,
-which is chicken.
-Chicken, exactly.
So what is your home run
for your restaurant?
What's the home run?
When the consumer walks
away from the restaurant--
-They tell everybody about it.
-What are they saying?
It looks different
than everything else.
It tastes different
than everything else.
And people look at it,
it's like, oh, I trust that guy.
-That's someone like me.
-Exactly.
-And have a story.
-Yeah.
And most importantly,
what does that mean
from a food standpoint?
[Morgan] Every good restaurant
needs a story.
Burger King has the Whopper.
Wendy's has Dave Thomas.
And Subway has...
well, you know.
But as important
as good branding is...
There's a lot of chicken
to think about.
...I first need to figure out
what type of chicken is
and isn't selling.
All right. So you're ready
to do some eating?
-I am so ready.
-All right.
Let's go look
at some restaurants
so that you can
kind of get a sense
of what's happening out there.
[Morgan]
Let's go.
We are coming up
to Chick-fil-A,
a number one
in customer satisfaction.
Hmm, a regular and a spicy.
-OK.
-Perfect.
[Christine] There's something
about this chicken...
-I crave it.
-Oh, yeah.
[Christine]
What's this ingredient in here?
[Kimberly]
It-it's MSG.
They've got MSG in this. A lot.
So part of the reason why this
is the fastest growing chain
is 'cause they're
cracking us out on MSG.
They are.
Yeah. The other thing
about Chick-fil-A is, um...
you should just never go there
with your gay husband.
[laughs] I know.
I think if you're not
gonna be inclusive,
then you can fuck yourselves.
That's a scientific
point of view.
Pulling in to Wendy's.
[over speaker]
Can I take your order?
What's your most popular
chicken sandwich?
-The Spicy?
-Yeah.
And what's the healthiest
chicken sandwich?
Mm.
It's like somebody
cleaned the grill
with, like, cleaning solvent.
You ever melt Styrofoam?
Oh, research.
That's what this is.
-A little 7-Eleven?
-Awesomeness guaranteed.
Let's take a look.
That's like an unfortunate
colored sauce.
-Oh, that's the signature sauce.
-Oh, that's the signature sauce.
I've got a new baby
that's putting that
in his diaper every night.
-[Kimberly laughs]
-Right there. Let's go.
OK, so off to Organic Coup.
[Morgan]
Hey, how are ya?
[Kimberly] And this is all about
organic through and through.
You get, like,
this real barn farm.
[moos]
[Christine laughs]
I know, right?
-[Morgan] $400.
-[staff member] No.
-I feel like organic's gonna
be too expensive.
-Yeah.
-Oh, fried chicken.
-[Kimberly] Three piece dinner.
[Morgan] Awesome.
Here's a chicken leg for you.
So-- [laughs]
[Kimberly] We are going
to Bakesale Betty's,
and the line's out the street.
[Morgan] So this is
the whole menu?
Buttermilk fried chicken
and coleslaw sandwich.
And where do
the chickens come from?
-They're free-range.
-OK.
What does--what does
free-range mean?
I'm not sure what that means.
I should know.
Yeah.
That's a good-looking sandwich.
Ooh.
Mm-hmm. Oh.
Mmm.
Oh, yeah.
Hey, what's the healthiest
sandwich you guys got?
And then what's the most
popular sandwich?
So this is the Burger King
most popular sandwich,
breaded, fried.
Mm.
Ground up chicken bits inside.
All I can say is this place is
called Burger King for a reason.
Oh, look, it's hollow.
You can actually
put it on like a mitt.
[grunts]
[majestic music]
You should not be able to
do this with a chicken sandwich.
[horns honking]
Come on down to Burger King.
Get yourself a Chicken Mitt.
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
So we've eaten...
-I don't know how many
calories of chicken.
-A lot.
A lot.
So now we have to work
on honing in your vision.
Yes.
The hard part is,
you want to
provide healthy options,
but at the end of the day,
the healthy options aren't
what's keeping the lights on.
Right. So this is
this kind of conundrum.
Grilled chicken
sandwiches, which are
the healthier version...
-Yeah.
-...are declining.
And I agree that grilled
chicken sandwiches are...
ultimately boring.
Right. And fried chicken
sandwiches are growing.
-Yeah.
-You know, consumers
crave this food.
They're not willing
to sacrifice the taste.
But there's this interesting
shifting definition of health,
so it's not necessarily
100% healthy for you.
It may be bad for you,
it's fried,
but it's got some
vegetables in it, so you
feel better about it.
-So it's a perception.
-It's the perception.
Then I should play into that
as much as I can.
Yes.
It should feel
like healthier food.
My sense is you've gotta
start with the chicken.
-Hmm.
-Right?
I mean, how do you feel about...
having your own chickens?
That you raise, that you know
what their life has been like,
before, you know, we eat 'em.
Sort of a farm to table
sort of a feel.
'Cause no fast-food place
is doing that.
These people are still
getting their chickens
from someone else.
And if I can have the farm
that brings the chickens
to the restaurant,
that's a good story.
-So, a chicken farmer.
-Go forth and find
your chickens.
[woman on laptop]
Take a step towards
your future today.
[on laptop]
Farming, like any other market,
is taking pride in your work,
doing all that you can
to provide the best environment
that we can for those birds.
[woman on laptop]
I think Perdue cares
about people
as well as they care
about the chickens.
[man on laptop] We're very
fortunate to have a relationship
with family farmers,
and we feed a lot of people
over the world.
[Morgan] Today, chicken is
a $48 billion industry.
[phone line trilling]
With so much demand,
you'd think getting
just a few thousand birds
and a farm would be easy.
[line trilling]
[indistinct answer]
Uh, hello. I was hoping
I could speak to someone
about getting some chickens.
[on phone]
Getting some chickens?
-Yes, sir.
-Um...
Uh... I don't know about that.
[line trilling]
[woman on phone]
Thank you for calling Perdue.
Hey, uh, I'm trying to, uh,
get in touch with somebody
about getting some chickens.
[on phone]
We don't sell our chickens.
I'm trying to get some chicks.
[on phone]
Let me transfer you to security.
[hangs up]
[man on phone]
We don't give chicks
to other than Tyson growers.
OK. Would you happen
to know a place?
[on phone]
I sure do not.
[Morgan] But the same way
there's Big Oil and Big Tobacco,
for poultry,
there's Big Chicken.
Big Chicken produces
over 99% of all the poultry
consumed in the U.S.,
most of which is supplied
by only five vertically
integrated corporations.
Tyson, Pilgrim's,
Sanderson Farms,
Koch Foods, and Perdue.
And these five companies
control practically everything.
From the breeder farms,
to the egg hatcheries,
the feed mills,
grow-out conditions,
and the processing plants.
Big Chicken dictates almost
every part of the process.
Look at it this way.
The next time you're
wondering which came first,
the chicken or the egg?
Turns out it's Big Chicken.
[man on speaker]
Here's how it works.
We will provide
the birds, the feed.
[Morgan]
OK.
You as a grower,
you'll be responsible
for all the costs
associated with the building,
the land,
plus the, uh, utility costs,
and the labor.
[Morgan]
OK. Like, how much is
the costs for one house?
[on speaker]
I would recommend
starting out with four.
That's a million six.
Um, OK.
The standard is going to be
an 80/20 loan.
[upbeat music]
[woman on phone]
I believe there's another place
in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
One second, I'm sorry.
I'm just writing this down.
[answering machine]
Thank you for calling
Live Oak Bank
-This is Josh.
-Hey, Josh, how are you doing?
I'm a first-time chicken grower
I just wanted to call about
getting a loan for
my chicken farm.
[Josh]
OK. What's your name?
Morgan.
[Josh]
Mm-hmm.
Spurlock. S-P-U-R-L-O-C-K.
[Josh]
Are you a filmmaker?
Am I a filmmaker?
Yeah, and a chicken farmer.
[Josh chuckles]
Well, are you
the documentary filmmaker?
I-I am.
Gotcha. Give me
a little bit of time here,
and I'll give you a call back.
[Morgan] Clearly,
if I'm going to do this...
God, damn it.
I'll need to find a way
around Big Chicken.
[disconnected number tone]
Out of business.
But finding
an independent hatchery
is easier said than done.
[man]
How many birds do you need?
[Morgan]
How many birds could I get?
Murray McMurray is
one of the few remaining
independent hatcheries
in the U.S.
They've been hatching chickens
for over a century,
and offer over 100
different varieties of birds.
But today, I'm all about
the broilers.
Also known as meat chickens.
Also known as the most
popular chicken on earth.
[cackling]
[low crack]
[chirping]
[chirping grows louder]
[footsteps]
[Bud]
Your chicks are in here.
Look at you, you're out.
Aww, good job.
Good job getting out.
Happy birthday!
In six weeks, these guys will
be ready for the dinner plate.
Wow.
Let's go meet your friends.
This little guy, he's just
one of more than 9 billion
broiler chicks
hatched in the U.S. each year.
Come here.
Their sole purpose in life
is to grow fast
and to get in our bellies.
-That is so incredible.
-[loud chirping]
Your birds are in here.
Oh, man! That is
a lot of chicken.
Look at all my guys!
Holy cow.
[Bud] These are Ross crosses,
large, double breast,
fast-growing breed.
[Morgan] Any other kind
of fast-food restaurant,
they'd have these same
kind of chickens.
They would have the same kind.
And if you go
to the grocery store,
this is what you
would be buying.
They're especially bred
for the meat.
These chicks are
the result of 70 years
of cutting-edge scientific
research and selective breeding.
It's like Easter.
[chuckles]
What did the time
to market used to be?
-Sixteen, twenty weeks.
-Wow.
From 20 weeks to 6 weeks.
[Bud] Just selective breeding.
Over the years, they keep
breeding a day off every year,
and they just keep bringing it
down and down.
That's incredible.
[Morgan]
And while society continues
to strive for gender equality...
[Bud]
We'll get set up
to sex these birds.
...with Big Chicken,
it still pays to be a man.
Because the males grow faster.
[Morgan]
And faster means more money.
So, if I want to get more bang
for my chicken buck,
I want to get
more male chickens.
Correct.
[classical music]
[chirps]
[chirping]
This is the Marek's vaccinator.
The piston here will push
this hypodermic needle--
-Just like that, right?
-There you go.
-Have you ever
been poked by that?
-Yes, it hurts.
One down.
So we hear a lot
about birds that are
pumped full of hormones.
You know,
most of that is a myth.
OK.
These chickens grow fast enough
-the way they are naturally...
-Yeah.
...that they don't
need those hormones.
[Morgan] 2,600 chickens.
You're now an official
chicken farmer.
Awesome.
Thank you so much.
[radio reporter]
Hi, let's talk about
being outside today.
It's going to be
a really nice afternoon,
lots of sunshine
is coming our way.
It's gonna be a beautiful day
with a high near 81 degrees.
Might end up
with a quick shower,
but 78 on Friday,
and 80's again rest of week.
[singer]
Ain't gonna do no plowing
Ain't gonna plant no seed
Ain't gonna feed
no chicken...
[indistinct chatter]
[Morgan] Jonathan Buttram is
the president of the Alabama
Poultry Growers Association.
With 38 years in the industry,
Jonathan, his wife Connie,
and their son Zack
have grown for several
of the biggest poultry companies
in the country.
Jonathan has agreed to rent me
one of his 14 grow houses
and help me raise my chickens.
[singer on radio]
Ain't gonna spread no seed
How you doing?
Hey.
Jonathan Buttram,
nice to meet you.
John, absolute pleasure, man.
Thank you so much.
-Great to meet you.
-Great to see you face-to-face.
You look like
a country boy.
I'm--I'm a hillbilly,
it's what happens.
When you're from West Virginia
you don't have a choice.
Exactly. If you're
from West Virginia
you don't have a choice.
[choir music]
[Morgan] This is a big space.
This is gonna be home base
for my chickens?
This is home base
for your chickens.
[Morgan]
That's fantastic.
[Jonathan]
We think you're
gonna do great here.
You're home!
Home!
-Right over here?
-Yeah, we want it that side
of the water line.
OK.
[chirping]
There you go! Yay!
Home, home, home!
Oh, so you're much
less delicate than I was.
[chuckles] That will
actually stimulate 'em.
-It will stimulate 'em?
-Yeah.
I really don't want to walk.
[Jonathan chuckles]
Why are you guys chasing me?
Oh, I'm your mama. Mama!
[Jonathan]
This is where you gotta watch
about stepping on 'em. Uh-oh.
[Morgan]
Holy cow.
[tweet]
There are so many chickens
in this place. [laughs]
Get out! Get out! Get out!
They're, like, surrounding me.
He's mama!
[laughs]
Go, go, go, go, go!
[laughs]
Last guy! You're home!
Home, home, home!
-[crunch]
-[Morgan] Whoa.
-Did y'all hear a pop?
-Did you step on that guy?
Yeah, he ran under
my foot when I...
[Morgan]
Wow.
So they're running under
our feet, getting all around us.
-Yeah.
-It's really hard
not to step on 'em.
Right.
[Morgan] Compared to most
of the industry,
my chicks had it pretty good.
You see, most grow houses
pack in more than ten times
as many birds.
That's less than one square foot
for every chicken.
So, in your new chicken house,
how many chickens are in there?
There's, uh, 28,000
in each chicken house.
Six flocks a year,
sometimes seven flocks.
Wow.
Now, I would love to show
you what 28,000 chickens
actually looks like,
but Big Chicken locks their
farmers into ironclad contracts
which strictly prohibit
outsiders, like me,
from entering their grow house.
So while I can show you this...
for Jonathan's sake,
I can't show you
what's actually happening
on the other side
of these walls.
[Toreador Song playing]
[Jonathan] It's about numbers
for the industry.
Getting the most amount
of chickens grown out,
in the smallest
amount of space,
for the least amount of money,
so they can make
the most amount of money.
That's the secret.
Hello, my chickens.
I am your chicken father.
[laughs]
This is going to be
the best time for you guys.
You have one job to do,
now that you're here.
That's right, you have one job.
That's to eat as much as you can
and do absolutely nothing.
Are you guys excited?
Who's excited?
[music and cheering]
[laughs] It's your daddy!
The Beatles, this is
how they must have felt.
[laughs]
Now that my farm's
up and running...
OK, now we're going
back the other way.
...I need to hunt down
a restaurant location.
Taco Bell, Papa Johns...
Smashburger, McDonald's.
Ooh, look at that Arby's.
That's a fancy Arby's.
And where better to do that
than Columbus, Ohio?
This is like fast-food strip
right here.
The test market capital
of America.
That's the first
free-standing Chipotle
I've ever seen in my life.
See, Columbus has everything.
-How you doing?
-Hey.
We've got freezers, coolers,
Amish-built bar,
music up here, and--
So has it been empty
for two years?
-Yeah. Yeah.
-OK.
So in an industry where most new
restaurants don't last a year...
-Um, it feels like
it was a strip club.
-[man chuckles]
There's a dance floor
over there.
...what's the secret sauce
that fuels those lucky few
to succeed?
I love that they put a menu
over another menu.
For starters, they're probably
offering food that customers
actually want to eat.
So, if you were gonna order
a chicken sandwich,
what type of chicken sandwich
would you most likely order?
It'd be a crispy chicken.
Crispy, of course.
Why a crispy chicken sandwich?
It just tastes so good.
It's got a nice spice to it.
Are you gonna go grilled
or you gonna go...
Most likely fried.
You know, I go to, uh,
Kentucky Fried Chicken
every once in a while.
-Yeah.
-And get a half a bucket
and sit there,
and the next thing I know,
I-I shouldn't have did it.
[laughs] Right.
See, we know we should
probably get the grilled
but we don't. Why?
It doesn't taste as good.
So in our brain
we're telling ourselves
we should order
the grilled chicken sandwich,
but our actions...
Go the opposite direction.
Yeah. Why is that?
-I don't know.
-[Morgan laughs]
I think healthy food depends
on the definition of health.
What do you mean by that?
So, we started to see
health change
and evolve based
on health halos.
What is a health halo?
What's that mean?
Well, a health halo is when
there are terms associated
with certain product
that--that make
it feel healthier.
OK. So give me some examples.
So examples would be
"fresh" and "natural."
Um, "hand-crafted"
has become big.
"Artisan."
"Homemade," "scratch"--
things where consumers feel good
about the food
and the ingredients.
Even when I deep-fry it?
Even when you deep-fry it.
That's incredible.
The term "fried" has
evolved to "crispy."
-Fried has a very
negative halo around it.
-Right.
-So let's talk about
my restaurant.
-OK.
-Can it be fried
and also be quality?
-Sure.
In fact, younger consumers
see quality ingredients
and transparency
as better for them.
So, for example, what are
the additives, preservatives?
Was it sustainably raised?
-Was it free-range or cage free?
-Right.
This is what basically gives
them their perception of health
-that becomes their reality.
-Yeah.
But generally, they're led
by indulgence and craveability,
so when they go out,
90% plus of consumers
are going after
the fried or crispy food,
versus the grilled.
So how many
fried chicken sandwiches
are sold in the U.S.
every single year?
I would venture to say...
it's close to
a billion sandwiches.
A billion
chicken sandwiches a year?
-Yeah.
-Wow.
So the fried chicken sandwich...
It's a good business to be in.
Yes, absolutely.
When was the last time you ate
a grilled chicken sandwich?
-Probably never, man.
-[both laugh]
I'm not gonna lie!
Probably never.
Anything that's healthy
doesn't taste good.
It's not, like, sizzling
and making a pop sound, it's--
-I don't see myself eating it.
-Yeah.
So if everybody
wants the fried sandwich...
Take the fried, every time.
-...and nobody wants
the grilled sandwich...
-Not me.
But everybody wants the idea
of getting something healthy,
can you just kind of bring
those two worlds together?
Is there a way to make a healthy
fried chicken sandwich?
It's a grilled fried chicken!
It's a grilled fried chicken.
Well, actually this is
a fried grilled chicken.
You're gonna see
fried grilled chicken and
grilled fried chicken.
[woman] So this one,
we wanted to showcase the fried,
then the grilling.
Fried grilled chicken?
-Yes.
-Really?
Yeah.
-[laughs]
-I encourage you to taste that.
[Kimberly]
Remember that taste
is a huge part of it.
-Mm-hmm.
-If it doesn't taste good,
-you're not getting a business.
-Hmm.
But I mean, how can I present
the fried grilled chicken
sandwich as being...
better for you.
-Let's see what happens...
-Yeah.
...and have a chef
create one of those
-and see what that's like.
-Sure.
So we have spicy mayonnaise.
Health used to mean
low fat, low calories...
That's nice.
And now, health is about
what are the good things
or the kinds of ingredients
that you're using.
[Jan]
And all those fresh green herbs
-really do give a health halo.
-[Morgan] Yeah.
OK.
Pickled vegetables.
This is daikon,
onion, and carrot.
So they are fried in the potato
and panko coating...
and then they're grilling it
in a Panini press.
[Morgan] To make this fried
chicken feel healthier,
CCD is surrounding the meat
with a halo of all natural,
local, and artisanal homemade
slaw and fresh green herbs.
That combined
with pressed-on grill marks
at least gives the perception
that this is a healthier
chicken sandwich.
But the big question...
How does it taste?
So we have
the grilled crispy chicken.
For this one, we increased
the spice on the spicy mayo,
and this one, we have
a mustard sauce.
-Great.
-Are you ready to taste?
-Yes, please.
-Perfect.
Here we go.
We're actually gonna taste
the mustard one first.
Oh, man...
the mustard sauce is good.
Oh, my God.
That's like one of the greatest
things I've eaten in my life.
[laughter]
That slaw pickle mix
is really nice.
All those fresh green herbs.
-Yeah, that already looks
like a healthy sandwich.
-Mm-hmm.
I'm wondering what isn't
letting us get the grill marks.
Our grill, our Panini press,
if it burns it,
just so you get the char marks,
it's gonna overcook the chicken.
See, the problem is I feel like
we need grill marks on it
to hammer home
the healthful-looking sandwich.
[Kimberly]
Mm-hmm.
If you really want char,
or grill marks, pardon me,
you can paint them onto this
with dark food coloring.
You're a--you're a smart one.
[Betty]
OK, so we're getting ready
to do the next one?
Mm-hmm. We're creating
the ultimate health halo.
Let's try this.
This is the spicy?
[Betty] This is the spicy, yeah.
Like three seconds in,
it starts.
Mm-hmm. You feel it,
you get the kick.
That is a craveable flavor.
That's a great sandwich.
For the spicy crowd,
you've got something.
for the non-spicy crowd,
you've got something.
Both feel very craveable to me.
[Morgan]
So let's have a conversation
of how healthy are
our sandwiches.
Um...
[laughter]
I think--I think that
answers my question.
Morgan, you know
I'm not a nutritionist,
but I would assume if you're
deep-frying something
you could be heavily criticized
and perhaps see
a backlash for that.
I just want you to know that.
[Morgan]
But everybody in America
loves fried chicken.
But--but you--
But I think that if you
start going down a path
of super, super healthy
-nobody wants to eat it.
-Mm. OK.
Well, you're gonna
have to do something
that makes it healthier.
Right. What are your guys'
thoughts on...
Obviously, fried chicken is
never gonna be amazing for you,
but if you are showcasing
all of the ingredients
and being transparent about it,
that's where I think it can
be interesting to consumers.
I think that's the big thing,
is what's the story behind
you and the chickens?
You really have to be clear
on what kind of chicken
you're serving.
Yeah, the chickens are blank,
or the chickens are this.
Are the chickens that you
are sourcing high quality
and free range,
and things like that.
Are you looking at organic?
Or are you...
Probably not. But what if--what
if the chickens that I serve...
are vegan?
[laughter]
Yeah, I don't know
how that works.
Home of the vegan chicken.
-So there you go.
-I like it, actually.
I kind of love that.
Um, but I guess
the point being, Morgan,
the better the chicken,
and the more claims you have,
the easier and better it is.
-To tell that story. Yeah.
-A hundred percent.
[Morgan]
Oh, my gosh, they're so big!
[Jonathan]
They're outgrowing
their feathers.
-That's why they're bald.
-That's good.
They're growing so quick that
the feathers can't catch up.
Holy shit.
[Morgan]
So if almost of the
chicken consumed in America
comes from
the same type of bird,
then how do you make
the actual chickens better?
So, the thing that I'd really
like to figure out
is how do we make
them free-range?
If we do that, we have
to really be careful
about what we do
with this type of chicken.
OK.
These birds are bred
to grow... indoors.
They're sort of
like sissy birds.
If these birds went outside,
and it'll be a 120 degrees
outside this house right here,
they're gonna die
from heat stress.
-Kill these chickens
just in a few minutes.
-OK.
But if we gave them
shade, with like--
what's the smallest space
we could give them
that would still be
quantified as free-range?
You know, I really don't know
the regulations on that.
[phone line trilling]
-[woman on phone] Hello.
-Uh, yes. Is this the USDA?
It certainly is.
How can I help you?
Uh, so I have a question.
I have a, uh, I have a small
chicken farm down in Alabama,
and we're looking
to raise my chickens free-range.
And I just wanted to understand
everything that I need to do,
uh, to kind of fall
within USDA guidelines.
[on phone]
OK.
The written description
of the housing conditions
is reviewed to ensure that
the birds have continuous,
free access to the out of doors
for over 51% of their lives
to the normal growing cycle.
So does that
have to be full-time?
Even when it's
100 degrees outside?
Or is it time in
the morning when it's cool,
then they come back in
during the heat of the day,
then they're allowed access
again in the evening
when it cools down again.
[on phone]
Right. That--that's fine.
-That's fine.
-That's fine.
And is there anything
about the size of the enclosure?
[on phone]
Not that I'm aware of.
I'm not seeing it has
any designation here
in the information.
-OK.
-And I'll send you
all the details.
Awesome.
I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much
for your time.
-Not a problem, have a good day.
-Have a great day. Bye, bye.
Let's see what I got. Hold on.
USDA permits the term
"free-range"
if the chickens have
access to the outdoors
for at least some
part of the day,
whether the chickens choose
to go outside or not.
So, ultimately, they don't
have to go outside,
as long as we give them
the option to go outside.
-Right. That's right.
-Then they're free-range.
-That's what I understood.
-OK.
[chirping]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[Jonathan]
Better watch your fingers.
[Morgan]
Let's move it over here.
Ready?
OK.
[Morgan]
Should I just push this side in?
[Zack]
Yeah.
[Jonathan]
We're done.
[laughter]
They have access to outside.
That's it.
Here it is.
Free-range.
Come on, come check it out.
Come on. Let's go. Let's go.
Yeah, go check it out.
What's over there?
[clucks]
They're afraid
to cross the threshold.
But they are curious.
Yeah.
Come on.
Hey, go outside. Check it out!
Look, you're free-range.
They're still considered
free-range if we're, like,
trying to force them
to go outside?
I think right now we're
just letting them know.
Come on. Come check it out.
Check it out. Check it out!
Check it out,
free-range chicken.
You are living
the chicken dream.
[clucks]
Look at you, you're
a free-range chicken.
Go tell all your friends.
This guy's like,
I want that shade.
Go check it out, guys.
Pretty sweet.
Or don't. Doesn't matter.
[Morgan] I know.
Free-range chickens are
supposed to look like this.
[clucking]
Or this.
Or maybe something like this.
That's what I thought, too.
But it turns out there's no
enforceable legal definition
for what free-range chicken
actually is.
Which way is
the meat department?
You see, the poultry industry
is highly competitive.
Natural breast,
no added hormones.
And Big Chicken
is determined to convince us
that all chickens are
not created equal.
Better feed, better taste.
Chicken raised
without antibiotics.
More than delicious,
a way of life.
Moist and tender. Mmm.
So if it works for them...
See, there's an actual picture
of their real farm.
...shouldn't it also
work for me?
There's a lot of things
I can say about my chickens.
I mean, it's not really cheating
if Big Chicken makes the rules
to the game... right?
I've got to fill out
the USDA application
than enables me to label
my chickens certain things.
So name of product is
Morganic Fresh Farms.
Since my chickens are already
on a non-organic diet
that includes pork meat...
[chuckles] It has some pork
in my chicken feed.
Pork-fed chickens.
...sadly, that means they
can't be called organic.
But what else makes people
think that chicken is better?
If I had a chicken farm
called Morganic Fresh Farms,
what would you expect
those chickens to be like?
I'd expect it to be Morgan's
highest quality chicken.
-They're natural.
-Natural, all natural.
-Natural.
-[Morgan] What does
"all natural" mean?
It was born in the wild.
Eating corn,
living life.
[TV announcers]
-All natural
-100% natural.
100% natural.
All natural is the most
misleading claim
on meat and poultry products.
All natural is really organic?
Organic, I guess.
The average consumer appears
to think all natural is
very similar to organic.
All natural, organic,
it's the same.
How the land is treated;
how the animals are treated;
what they're fed;
whether they get antibiotics.
It means none of those things.
All natural, according
to the United States
Department of Agriculture,
means minimally processed;
no artificial ingredients.
Only means what
happens to the product
after the animal is killed
and has nothing to do
with how the animal is raised.
So, all natural.
[bell rings]
Hormone free,
what does that mean?
They don't put hormones
in the food to make
them grow faster.
That's where they inject
the chemicals into a chicken.
I think it absorbs into
the muscle, into the fat
of the chicken, then the meat.
We eat that.
And I'm one of those people
at the grocery store
that will buy--
spend the extra and buy
the no hormone-injected meats
and I do the best I can.
[TV announcers]
Without any added hormones.
Grown with no added hormones.
By law, poultry cannot
receive hormones.
And yet, producers
can make that claim.
Well, Foster Farms Chicken
has no added hormones.
Well, I wish you didn't have
any added negativity!
[Morgan] No hormones added.
[bell ring]
-If a chicken is cage-free,
what does that mean?
-Cage-free?
Cage-free chicken
would be a cousin of
a free-range chicken.
They're still within quarters
but just not in those small,
little containers.
-And that's good, right?
-Yeah.
[Dena] Cage-free.
We consider that misleading.
Meat chickens
in the United States have
never been raised in cages.
-[Morgan] Cage-free.
-[bell ring]
What about a label
that says "humanely raised."
What does that mean?
Uh, it's not raised in a cruel,
unnatural condition.
Like, if you're gonna eat meat,
I'd rather it be, like,
-ethically treated, you know.
-Yeah.
Then for some things,
like humane,
they allow the producer
to define the claim.
So I'm gonna say humanely
raised means...
chickens raised
humanely on a family farm
in a stress-free environment.
Our farmers always handle
the birds with care and respect.
So now my free-range, cage-free,
no hormones added,
humanely-raised,
100% natural chickens
can get the USDA's
seal of approval.
Some pretty good bullshit
right there.
If you put your faith
in government to be looking
out for what's in your food,
then you're--you're putting
yourself into an experiment.
And the USDA,
there's no funding.
They can't afford to test
anything, so they don't.
If you vouch for its safety,
we're good, you know.
They rubber stamp it.
So when people say...
we're only selling people
what they want, is that true?
-It's absolutely true.
-Yeah.
'Cause they're constantly,
ear to the ground,
what do people want?
GMO free, free-range,
humanely raised, like,
all these terms
are coming out of the people
that are the activists,
and then they get adopted
really quickly by the companies.
Yeah.
It's kind of like the '70's,
when the whole
peace-love movement
became, like, lunch boxes
and stuff, and then it was over.
-[laughs]
-Right.
What will it take to change
the environment we live in?
A really passionate...
involved consumer that takes
advantage of the fact
that you can kind of learn about
anything you want to, right now.
You want to know what's
in something, Google it up.
If everybody
took advantage of that,
there'd be clean food,
there'd be healthy food,
it would change overnight.
So I'd like to ask you
about what I'm doing.
Well, you need a catchy name.
Talk about the farm.
There is this bucolic notion
of what's going on
at the farm, still,
that Americans have,
because we all grew up with our
little farm toys and everything.
And why do we, as consumers,
want to believe that?
We don't take in stuff
through fact,
we take in stuff
through stories.
So every brand has a story,
every campaign has a story.
-And your restaurant
has a story.
-Right.
-You gotta weave a good tale.
-Yeah.
[Morgan]
This is my farm.
Whoa, whoa, whoa,
Morganic? Yeah.
[Morgan] Andrew Clark
and David Littlejohn run
the creative agency Humanaut.
They specialize in getting
startups off the ground
with innovative
and outside-the-box campaigns.
Hey, foodies. It doesn't
get any more local than that.
[Morgan]
They've agreed to come on board
to help me weave my tale.
I'm trying to find an agency
who can kind of help me
fulfill my vision of
the ultimate farm-to-table
fast-food restaurant.
And the whole reason I wanted
to raise my own chickens
was because what consumers
are kind of leaning towards
and want now,
which is kind
of "healthy fast-food."
-Right.
-So, raising my own chickens,
there's nothing more
farm-to-table than that.
-Are you gonna
serve that chicken?
-Absolutely.
-Chicken farmer.
-Chicken farmer.
They are free-range,
they are cage-free,
they are antibiotic-free,
hormone-free,
-all natural...
-[Andrew] Asbestos-free?
[chuckles] Asbestos free,
USDA certified.
That sounds amazing.
Until you start to realize
how much of that is labeling.
And marketing.
And it's just kind of...
the health halo.
Especially like
a fast-food restaurant.
They've kind of been
green-washing, health-washing
the dirty, unhealthy truth.
They want you to feel like
they're being honest,
-or you can trust them.
-But it's still junk food.
[Morgan]
Before we get started
on slogans and jingles,
I need to understand just how
much things have changed.
First stop, the one
place story-wise
that Andrew and David think
has truly evolved the most.
[David]
McDonald's.
[Morgan]
Oh, my gosh.
[David]
Yeah.
This is your first
time back, right?
This will be the first time
I have set foot
in a McDonald's in 12 years.
-It's a big moment.
-[David] Here we are.
[Morgan]
Oh, my gosh. I'm having
flashbacks already.
[David]
This is a drastically
different place
than the McDonald's
of ten years ago.
It doesn't look like any
McDonald's I've ever been in.
It definitely looks better
than those clown castles
they used to have.
[chuckles]
Nice stone work. I mean,
that's not cheap.
Yeah, but is it gonna taste
drastically different?
[David]
You're gonna let us know.
[Morgan]
The smell's already wafting
out of the doors.
[David]
Yeah, it really is.
[Morgan] Wow.
There's nothing in here
that makes you think
this is a McDonald's...
I'd like to get
a southern-style chicken.
...except for the way it smells
and the fact that it says, like,
"I'm lovin' it" on the wall.
Thank you very much.
Mmm.
All right, guys.
Here's the goods.
[Morgan]
So let's take a look.
OK. Are we ready?
-Let's do it.
-Let's go.
Enjoy.
Glad to know some things
haven't changed in 12 years.
Oh, whoo.
I'm having like...
McPTSD.
[laughter]
Whoo.
This looks very different.
This...
tastes just as bad.
OK, remember when they used
to have Styrofoam containers?
Now they've got these.
That gives you the sense of,
like, minimal processing.
Yeah, it's very green-looking.
This sandwich is called,
you know, artisan.
If you talked to a true artisan
and showed them this...
[Morgan]
Here, let's take a look.
[laughter]
It's not like they have
artisan staff back there
and then regular staff.
[Morgan] One guy makes
that sandwich all day.
It's made by our artisan.
[laughter]
So then this idea of, like,
the simpler the better.
They're able to kind of create
this health halo around the food
by calling it simple.
And you realize
it doesn't mean anything.
And look at this chicken.
It's like a super nugget.
[laughs] That's amazing.
But also, you gotta love
the fresh cracked eggs.
Cracked fresh in our kitchen...
with two hands.
I feel better already.
You know, it's like
the bare minimum
becomes the height of, like,
look at what we've done.
-They said they've heard me.
-Yes.
-"We've heard you."
-Literally talking about you.
We've heard you, Spurlock,
and now look what we've done.
We made a tri-fold brochure.
[laughter]
So it's like when you see
a word like artisan,
fresh cracked egg,
the simpler the better,
and you just even begin to ask,
"What do they mean by that?"
It just quickly falls apart
and becomes humorous.
-[Morgan] Got it.
-[Andrew] Let's go
to the next spot.
Oh. Whoo.
-[Morgan] What's next?
-[Andrew] Here we go!
Chipotle.
These guys do it better
than anyone.
It's really simple,
raw ingredients.
You're gonna see a lot
of handwriting,
telling the story of where
your food comes from.
Well, that chip was probably
cut, fried, and finished
with a squeeze of lime.
Maybe those salty
little imperfections
aren't for you, buddy.
What do they do to make that
guacamole so radioactive green?
Nothing, man, it's natural.
It's right there on the cup.
And it's that hand-lettered
font to give you that
handmade artisanal feel,
so that you feel better
about what you're eating.
-Mmm.
-Regardless of the astronomic
calorie counts.
"As they say in the old country,
treat thyself. Chipotle."
-Panera.
-Panera.
So Morgan, as we go in here,
we encourage you just
to pay attention to everything.
Every piece is gonna
be something you're gonna
want to think about, too.
Van Gogh bread, Dali bread.
[laughs]
The walls, the colors.
[Morgan]
Very orange.
The orange is about
vibrancy and energy.
Green, you're not just
eating natural food.
There's chips here,
there's cookies...
but you're in this comfortable,
green, sustainable space.
And you can see
their mission statement
for everyone in here to read.
-It's, uh, food as it should be.
-[Morgan] Got it.
Or, Morgan, you could just
do something like a word wall.
Words smashed together.
They don't have
to mean anything.
-Quality.
-Services.
-Col. Sanders.
-Chicken.
Boston Market.
You know, here we got
photographs of the farm.
You want to feel like
your food came from a farm
and a farm that looks like that.
[Morgan] I know what
a chicken farm looks like
and that looks nothing like one.
Whether or not this is
the actual farm, who knows?
Yeah.
[David]
Subway. Eat Fresh.
These guys were the first ones
to actually show you vegetables.
Providing this healthy halo
to the unhealthy items
right next to it.
So I'm gonna get
the Oven Roasted Chicken,
or I'm gonna get the 1220
calorie Chicken Bacon
Ranch Melt.
But you're gonna
feel better about that...
because you're nestled
in a salad, right there.
[laughter]
And your brain
doesn't expect more.
That's right.
I've got the Oven Roasted
Chicken Sandwich
but you can see I've
actually got grill marks,
even though it's from an oven.
-But somewhere it was "grilled."
-Artificial grill marks.
That's something that's
been used in the industry
for a long time.
So despite there being
fake grill marks on there,
I think it's better for me.
-Absolutely.
-That's amazing.
[Morgan] When it comes to truly
washing oneself in the vast
green glow of healthy-ish...
-[Andrew] Wendy's.
-[David] Yeah, here we are.
...Wendy's takes
the gluten-free cake.
-Welcome to real.
-It's real.
We're not gonna
serve you virtual food.
You will have real food.
[Andrew]
So I'm counting at least four
different types of wood grain.
My favorite thing in this place
is the glass grass.
[David]
I mean, it screams natural.
All the messaging
that's on this tray liner.
-Because it's different.
-Raised on ranches.
[David] All-all cows
are raised on ranches.
Right.
With the bakery-style bun.
Does this bun look
any different to you
than it did ten years ago?
No, but do I think that because
of the cues that are happening
in this restaurant,
this is suddenly better for me?
-Yes.
-It's up there nestled
between salads.
How could it not
be better for me?
You're actually having
a health halo...
-Experience.
-Yeah.
You can't fault a brand
for trying to say
the best thing possible,
but when you're doing
all of it to give people
a false impression
of what you really are...
[Morgan]
Yeah, from the Baconator.
You've crossed a line
and you're deceiving people.
-You think you're eating that...
-Yeah.
But you're eating
the shitty thing in your hand.
Right. Just keep your eyes
on this while you--
[laughter]
So, when consumers go
into a fast-food restaurant,
thinking that the food is
actually healthier than it is,
what are the dangers of that?
I can eat everything I want!
As much as I want!
And I'll be just fine
and the calories won't count.
Not the case.
Unfortunately, no.
I mean, what you
care about is the calories,
the salt, and the sugar.
And those mostly
haven't changed.
Right.
If you show people two
of the exact same food,
and you label one as green
and the other one as not green,
they think the green one
has fewer calories.
-Yeah.
-Those studies have been done.
And the food companies are
counting on human behavior
to increase the sales.
And if people will
buy more because there
are salads there.
-Mm-hmm.
-They'll put salads there.
-Yes.
-It's their job to sell
as much product as possible,
maximize shareholder value,
and please Wall Street
with growth every 90 days.
That's their job.
What if there was a company
that was completely honest
with their customers?
Well, why would they do that?
-[Morgan] Look at it.
-[David] Here we go.
-It's a Wendy's.
-It's real.
-[Andrew] Looks
strangely familiar.
-[Morgan] Yeah?
And I got the magic key.
-All right.
-Ooh, yeah.
-[David] Wow.
-I'll turn on the lights.
[chuckling] This doesn't
look dangerous at all.
Look at this thing.
See the mouse trap
down at the bottom?
All mine.
Um, all right. Let's just start
flipping and see what happens.
-No?
-No, nothing. Keep
doing that, thought.
[dramatic music]
-[Andrew] Hey!
-[applause]
We're on--we're in business.
Hey, wow, it's even
better in the light.
Welcome to your
fluorescent-lit restaurant.
Let's take this baby over.
American dream, right here.
American dream.
There are so many possibilities.
Like, will you just look
at the wall space.
This wall, it's
your entrance, right?
So have a kind of a--our story.
I love the little nooks.
I love the windows.
-Bringing the nature in.
-Yeah.
The traffic going by.
Good propaganda space,
right here.
That's right.
Chicken farmer hall of fame.
We're gonna have lines,
and I almost feel we just
want to keep that.
[David]
Definitely like the corral.
We have a fryer here,
where we'll fry the chicken.
That's local water.
-Artisanal city water.
-Yeah.
I love this; small meat;
large meat.
[laughter]
I love that it's an old Wendy's.
We do need to think through
our loyalty program.
Next!
[Morgan laughs] I like it.
[Jazz music]
[singer]
With a little bit of chicks
in the chicken coop,
Picking crumbs off the floor
So who'd suspect
a thing from us
When we chicken walk
across the floor?
When the farmer comes
every morning to feed
Ain't nothing
that we want more
But every night
that farmer comes down...
Here we are. [clucks]
Let's go to work.
Morning. How we doing?
Look like you growed
some behemoths.
I can't believe
how big they are.
Should we weigh a couple?
See how they're doing?
Yeah.
[chicken clucks]
-Six one.
-Six one.
-That's a big bird.
-Come on, buddy.
[Morgan] Six pounds and one
ounce might not seem like a lot.
That is until you get
a better perspective.
You see, if we humans
grew at the same rate
as the modern-day broiler,
a two-month-old baby
would weigh in at
a whopping 660 pounds.
That... is a big boy.
When they sent over
my Ross 308 chicks,
they sent over a little,
small white chicken.
But as these have grown,
this one didn't grow.
He was right out here
a second ago.
Here he is. He's fast.
He's like a road runner.
Now, that was impressive.
Come here, big boy.
There you go.
This chicken,
just like God made him.
That chicken--
-Just like Dr. God made him.
-Yes.
And you can see
he's gonna keep growing
like a normal chicken.
And this is how big my
Schwarzenegger chickens
have been bred to grow.
Six times the size.
They'll get up
and move a little bit
and then they'll just drop.
But that kind of rapid growth
has come at a heavy cost
for some of my birds.
Here we got three dead birds,
right here.
They're starting
to have heart attacks
because they're so big.
There's one.
Let's keep looking.
Here's another one.
This one got his leg
up in the air.
-Probably had a heart attack.
-He's even stiff.
Like, rigor mortis has set in.
There's another dead one.
A lot of chickens, when they're
growing really fast,
they'll form a fluid around
the heart, and they'll die
with a heart attack.
If they weren't having any
heart attacks, we'd say,
well, they're not growing too
fast, there's something wrong.
It's not often you hear,
they're doing well so they're
having heart attacks.
Right.
Which is a good thing
in chickens.
See, bigger is better.
-It's the American way.
-Bigger is better.
As with any bird
that is supposed to grow,
you know, so fast,
-Yeah.
-You can have a lot of problems
with their growing.
You can have obesity.
Bone issues.
Sudden death syndrome.
Heart attacks.
Gumboro disease.
Newcastle disease.
Salmonella,
infectious Bronchitis.
Mycoplasmosis.
Many different
strains of E. coli.
Campylobacteriosis.
Pasturellosis.
Or green muscle disease.
-[Morgan] That is so wrong.
-[laughs]
So, where should we start?
Well, I would like
to start with an autopsy.
OK.
Here is your sample
of mortality, right?
Yes. OK.
Oh, let me tie you up.
My chicken necropsy kit.
[chuckles]
OK, chicken.
This checks
for salmonella or E. coli.
[laughs]
This is the breast muscle,
right.
Now, this is a very large bird.
They're nice, white,
plump, and juicy.
All of these birds are very
large and well-fleshed.
Oh. Routinely these hip joints
in these chickens are necrosed,
one of the emerging
diseases that came up
when these birds
started getting so large.
Sometimes it breaks totally.
-Other times...
-It pops off.
Yeah, it just pops right off.
-Here we do have a little curve.
-Mm-hmm.
That could be potentially
linked to the weight
of the bird.
This bone is brittle,
it fractured.
They just can't
support themselves.
Exactly. So this is
a common thing.
I see it a lot
in these larger birds.
-Would that have
caused its death?
-No.
Oh, why did you die?
Now we're going to open it up.
Let me get
my coracoids' crunchers.
[snapping sound]
OK.
-The heart muscle
seems to have failed.
-OK.
It's just a normal thing,
pretty much run-of-the-mill.
This is very much something
you only see in these types
of bred chickens.
-Yes.
-Yeah.
They're growing really,
really fast.
-So it puts a strain
on the heart.
-OK.
But I think you've got
a pretty healthy flock, here.
They're going to be safe to eat.
I'm facing the same thing
everybody else does.
-Yes.
-Yeah.
So I just got a letter
sent to my office
and I'm just gonna read it
to you because it's
pretty unbelievable.
"Good morning
State Poultry Federation Reps,
I wanted to make you aware
that Morgan Spurlock
from "Supersize Me"
is working on a documentary
with a working title
of 'Chicken.'
He's been calling companies
with vague inquiries
about what it takes
to become a grower.
Spurlock has also reached out
to bank lenders
trying to get information.
Recently, one lender mentioned
that Spurlock was looking
to get a chicken farm
calling from a New York number.
The lender asked if
he was the filmmaker,
and his reply
'yes, and a chicken farmer.'"
[man on phone]
Are you a filmmaker?
Am I a filmmaker?
Yeah, and a chicken farmer.
[man chuckles]
Then it goes on to say,
"It is unclear
if he is working with
any activist or other groups.
We will keep you apprised
of any new developments
but wanted to make sure
you were aware and alert.
If you have any further
information or know people
who have been contacted,
please let me know.
Thank you, Thomas Super,
Senior Vice President
Communications
the National Chicken Council."
Now, the National Chicken
Council is the big lobby group
for Big Chicken.
Like, every Big Chicken company
gives money to them
to kind of help them lobby
on behalf of their interests
in Washington and beyond.
And so, the reps hand-deliver
these letters to the farmers,
and that's how I got it.
A farmer read the letter,
saw my phone number,
and called, and the farmer said,
"Listen, it says here you're
looking to buy a farm.
We're struggling, we're trying
to make ends meet.
If you want to buy one,
buy mine."
It's all so bizarre.
The fact that all these
companies are colluding together
to kind of talk to
the National Chicken Council
to kind of block me
from talking to farmers,
to growers,
to getting chickens, to banks.
It's like, you have to ask
yourself, what are they
trying to hide?
I call, basically, the chicken
industry one large mafia.
-Yeah?
-Myself.
There's even the possibility
they're gonna retaliate
against me for speaking out.
Thank you.
'Cause they don't want anybody
telling about what's
actually going on
inside the chicken companies.
Yeah, explain to me,
what do we not know?
What do I, as a consumer,
not understand about
the chicken business?
I don't think a consumer
understands anything about it
other than what they see
in a grocery store.
Mm-hmm. I see a chicken
that I get to buy,
and I get to take home,
and that's it.
That's right. That's all
you see. You don't see...
maybe, how sick
those chickens were
at times. You don't see...
-how mistreated the farmer is.
-Yeah.
We used to get paid,
just like, so much a pound.
-Yeah.
-And everybody basically
made the same.
Now, the way that they
pay the chicken farmer,
they have him competing
against other farmers.
Right.
The grower that
has the best bird,
-he gets the top pay.
-OK.
And from the top pay
to the bottom pay...
is a lot of money.
-Wow.
-Yeah.
This is called
the tournament system.
[Morgan]
The tournament system is
a merit-based competition
that pits farmers like Jonathan
against other growers.
It works like this.
Each farmer's performance is
ranked according to a formula
which factors in things like
how much the birds weigh,
how much they eat,
and how many total chickens
actually made it to slaughter.
Big Chicken makes
the farmers compete
for a set amount
of the chicken pot pie.
And farmers who perform
well earn more money
per pound of chicken.
Farmers performing poorly
earn less.
But here's where farmers
think it becomes unfair.
Remember, Big Chicken
dictates every aspect of how
the chicks are grown.
So if you get a flock
of sick birds, doesn't matter.
If the company
ships female chicks
that don't grow
very big, tough luck.
If your birds won't eat
the stale feed
they're delivered,
well, that's just too bad.
So there's technically
competition,
but to farmers like Jonathan,
the whole system
just feels rigged.
[Jonathan] I hate the tournament
system. It's terrible.
They figured out a legal way of
stealing from people.
-Right.
-And making them more money.
But the arguments
from the industry will be,
we live in a capitalistic
society, you know?
We're a business, we're
supposed to make money.
So from their standpoint,
and they say listen,
we're just trying to make
as much money as we can.
What's wrong with that?
Well, there's not
anything wrong with making
as much money as you can
unless you're doing harm
somewhere else.
And they're doing harm
somewhere else.
-Yeah.
-If you are on the bottom
in this ranking system,
there's not enough money
to pay your payments, your
electric bills and all that.
And too many times
I've seen a young farmer
borrow all this money
then lose everything he's got.
It's--it's not right.
-Thank you.
-Nothing we say counts.
We have no input, no say.
When you speak out,
what happens when...
they basically try to punish
you, I guess, in some way?
With the tournament system,
it doesn't take much
to go from top to bottom.
Integrators can manipulate
the paper, the feed,
actual chicks coming
out of the hatchery.
They can pick
the bad flocks of chicks,
bring 'em to your farm,
and you won't do very well.
Yeah.
I did a newspaper interview,
and after the interview,
my pay dropped 5,000 per flock.
-$5,000 a flock?
-$5,000 a flock.
They get it in for you...
they're your worst nightmare.
[Morgan]
The tournament system is used by
all the major chicken companies.
And according to the
National Chicken Council, quote,
"Everyone benefits,
including the farmers,
who are compensated
according to the quality
and care of their chickens."
They also claim, quote,
"Chicken farmers are happy
and in many cases feel more
secure in the current system."
Growers are accusing
Tyson Foods of rigging
the way they are paid.
[news reporter]
Ten farmers sued the company
in Hopkins County,
claiming a tournament system
used to pay them is being
used against them.
Can you break down, kind of,
what the--what the claims are?
What are you guys
claiming in the lawsuit?
Well, basically,
what we're--what we're saying,
Morgan is that, um...
the tournament system
is patently unfair.
-Mm-hmm.
-If you're gonna have growers
compete against each other,
everybody has to
be treated equally.
And that's not even close to
what's happening in this case.
-Yeah.
-More often than not,
Tyson manipulates
the variables that are used
to rank these fellas.
[Morgan]
How many houses do you have?
[Charles]
I've got 52 chicken houses.
-Fifty-two?
-Yes, sir.
We'll have one do good,
one'll do bad, one'll do good,
one'll do bad.
One will stay in the middle.
It's just a roller coaster.
You could sell one farmer birds
this week and be number one.
And then eight weeks later--
It don't have to be eight weeks.
You could sell a farmer birds
next week and be dead last.
So when something like that
happens, what-what changed?
My water didn't change.
My settings didn't change.
My--You know,
we didn't change anything.
The temperature's the same,
the water consumption's
the same, everything's the same,
but the only variables
is the chicken and
the feed that you get.
It's the variables
that you get from Tyson.
Yeah, so you go from being
a great chicken farmer
to a terrible chicken farmer.
A-a-and... six months
down the road you can
be out of business.
We hear the same complaint
from all these growers,
all across the country.
They're saying the same thing.
-Yeah.
-And it tells me...
that they're a victim of
the same corrupt, rigged system.
Tyson's got an incentive to
make sure that these guys stay
-in debt.
-Why?
Because then they
have control over them.
They know a man in debt,
you know, is--
he needs that next
flock of chickens to--
just to survive.
Did they ask you for anything
in particular when you
get those contracts?
Yes, sir.
I've had to put in new heaters
in order to keep up
with the contract.
That was about
an $80,000 upgrade.
-New controllers.
-Yeah.
New lighting and stuff
when I got my last contract.
You get barely above the water
and that's where they want you.
Or you gotta upgrade
for the next contract...
and--and so
you're back in debt.
[typing]
-[Morgan] Thanks for doing this.
-Sure.
So, um, when did you work
at Tyson and for how long?
[voice distortion]
I worked for Tyson Foods
for well over five years.
I was a field representative.
I saw several things
that I didn't...
didn't agree with morally, where
certain growers were treated...
differently than other growers,
and I have seen the system
being manipulated.
[Morgan]
What were the incidents
that stand out in your mind?
Uh, certain supervisors
instructed me to go out
and to make sure
that I used every
available option I had
to control
contract grower farms.
Tyson and other integrators
will force upgrades
when they're not necessarily
needed as a control mechanism
to keep people
under their thumb.
[Morgan]
So Tyson purposely
keeps farmers in debt?
In my opinion,
the debt is encouraged.
[Morgan]
Then why do you believe
Tyson... rigs the system?
To simply control.
If you're running a business,
don't you want
as much control over
that business as you can have?
[on computer]
One of the greatest things
that we have to sustain
is our relationship with
our farmers.
Because without
that relationship
we don't have a business.
Our relationship is
the cornerstone of who we are.
[former representative]
Tyson is controlling
family farmers.
And that's probably what
hits me the hardest...
[on computer]
They care about what
they're doing out there.
It's their house,
it's their livelihood.
...because they're
in my community.
These are people that I've
known for multiple years.
I've known their children.
I've watched some
of their children grow up.
Our farmer partners are
critical to our success.
We're critical to their success.
That's their livelihood.
[former representative]
You know what really
gets under my skin,
is when I have to watch
a commercial about somebody
saying how big we're a family
farmer and how much
we support these guys,
and you really don't do that.
Don't lie to my face.
Once you build
that chicken house,
enter into that agreement,
then you're trapped
in that system.
The farmer...
he's an indentured servant.
I mean, he owes all
this money and the only way
he can pay it back is
through growing chickens.
There have been many...
uh...
men and women...
who have left as broken people.
[Charles]
It--it's just a vicious cycle.
They want to keep you enslaved.
It used to be good, though,
Morgan, it really did.
[Morgan]
Yeah.
So how much debt are you
carrying right now on 'em,
on all the houses?
On all the houses, I'd probably
say right around and--
around $4 million.
-Four million?
-Yes, sir.
I mean, I'm carrying...
this corporation on my back.
along with every other honest,
hardworking family farmer
in the country
that's growing chickens.
We're on call 24/7.
We didn't go anywhere away
from those chicken houses
for ten years.
Man, I've--I couldn't
even tell you.
Family reunions, I mean,
Christmas Day with the family.
I placed chickens two days
after my son died.
I can't tell you
the stress level of it.
The stress level of--
of dealing with a company
that tells you that everything
that happens is your fault
when you know different.
It's all about money.
These companies have their--
their thumb on these people.
And they know it.
And what's sad about it is
the growers know it, too.
I don't want anybody
to live like I do.
[Morgan]
How is that?
Well, I mean...
'cause of this. [sniffs]
It's just not worth it.
This is a life I wish
nobody had to do.
[sniffs]
Hey.
I got your sheets.
Settlement on the last flock
of chickens I sold.
And it has me...
11 out of 11. I'm bottom
on the ranking system.
-You're in last place?
-I'm in last place.
But here's your check.
Yeah, I'm getting less money,
a lot less money.
For this flock, it's $11,980.
$5,000 they gypped me right
here on the ranking system.
-Yeah.
-$5,000 go a long way
paying your bills.
Right.
It's just one thing
after another, constantly.
-It never lets up.
-Yeah.
So with this, like, so--
so you're last place.
[Jonathan] Doesn't make sense.
I had the largest chicken
on the sheet.
[Morgan] When you see this...
is the company trying
to send you a message?
Sounds like it. They may
have found out about,
uh, what we're doing now.
Usually, anything like
that goes on,
they'll call and let
the companies know.
-Mm-hmm.
-Hey, there's something going on
that you may not know about
and so we can't trust anybody.
Man, that's terrible. I'm sorry.
[Morgan] So you're a third
generation chicken farmer.
You want your son
to be a chicken farmer?
Well, I did, but now
I wouldn't advise him to.
He's wanted to.
This is what I know.
It's what I was raised in.
I'm good at it.
I've got a skill to do things
that most couldn't,
but I watch him
get so stressed out
when stuff would go wrong
or happen that was
out of his control,
and I don't see myself
wanting to do it now
for the integrators
that I know are here.
Yeah.
The way that
the chicken company is,
he can't go ahead
and carry this on
and be the fourth generation
chicken farmer,
and he can't pass it on
to his son.
The legacy's stopping now.
-[Morgan] Really?
-[sighs]
[clucking]
Can you grab the drill?
We're good to go.
[Zack]
We can go ahead
and raise the waters.
Now, it's wait
till the catchers show up.
Is it normal
that I feel a little bad
that I sending my chickens
off to slaughter?
I think you would be not normal
if it didn't affect you.
Is it just because it's my
first flock, is that why?
Yeah, you got used to 'em and
you don't wanna see 'em die.
If you did this a hundred
or a thousand times,
it'd just be nonchalant.
Wouldn't worry you
or bother you a bit.
[truck beeping]
All right, fellas.
This is it.
[motor revs]
[dramatic music]
[chickens clucking]
[boy]
How many is in that one?
[Morgan]
Three.
-One more.
-Thank you.
Come on, get in there.
So far,
since we've just
been gathering them,
four have died of heart attacks.
[loud clucking]
Come on, big bird, get in there.
[sighs]
It's like all I look at now is
everything that has to be fixed;
cracks in the walls, things
that are all rusted through.
The vents have
to be functioning;
repair the holes;
things that are just dirty.
Everywhere you touch
is just greasy and sticky.
The list is huge.
[hammering]
Look at those delicious
grill marks on there.
-Charcoal powder.
-[Jeff] Yep.
We're going to do kind of a
natural looking feel.
Fixodent to glue parts.
K-Y Jelly, dab it on
and it sticks perfectly.
Drops.
[Morgan]
What is this?
[Jeff]
Glycerin.
Now I need the mustard.
-Scotchgard.
-[Morgan] Scotchgard.
I'll do them with Scotchgard.
It will give you nice drips
down the side.
That is the most
perfectly placed drip I've
ever seen in my life.
Little seeds.
Little more homemade-looking
goes in that farm-to-table
kind of feel.
Did you tweak
that dangler, Jeff?
Yes, I did.
Man, that is a good looking
chicken sandwich.
I'm gonna show you
a bunch of names.
Fantastic.
Peep No Evil.
Cluck and Dagger.
Charred & Feathered.
Conspiracy Chicken.
Goodbird.
Flippin' the Bird.
Bird + Bun.
Dumb Cluck.
Mother Cluckers.
And of course, we're trying
to create Chicktopia.
Chickri-la.
So this is
a new size cup, right?
-Yeah.
-Squattier, smaller.
OK.
Then we've got our handwritten
messages on the cups.
[Morgan]
So there's a red sticker for
spicy, green for the regular.
-What about the wrapper?
-It's brown paper.
-It's good.
-[Andrew] Approved.
[Morgan]
Can you tell me the fast-food
experience you've had?
Four years restaurant
management experience.
-I'm a cook.
-Team leader.
Hamburger specialist.
-I started out at Chipotle.
-McDonald's.
-Jack in the Box.
-Chick-fil-A.
-Popeyes.
-White Castle.
-Burger King.
-Taco Bell.
-Wendy's.
-May pay is...
-$7.25.
-$7.25.
$7.25 still, and I've been
in the industry of fast-food
for seven years.
There are no benefits.
There are no sick days.
You can either come
into work sick...
They'd be sneezing
on their hands.
Not trying to cough all over
everything but...
One job is not enough.
The working conditions sucks.
And that's just
the way that it is.
If you don't like it,
you can leave
and we'll find somebody else
to replace you.
Everyone's replaceable.
Welcome to Chicken
corporate training.
Whoo! Yes! [clucks]
Here's the most important part.
The flavor char station,
where you install
the flavor char marks.
And then... boom.
Grilled crispy
chicken sandwiches.
-[laughter]
-Right there.
The char marks on top.
Look at your build if
you ever have a question.
And then just across, right?
Great.
-Generous.
-Yeah, generous.
That's a good wrap.
Nice job.
[reporter]
Well, there is a new restaurant
to cluck about this weekend.
It's going to be
a chicken restaurant.
Brought to Central Ohio
by Morgan Spurlock.
The star of the documentary
"Super Size Me."
Now he's opening
his own restaurant,
right here in Central Ohio.
...brown paper covering
whatever is going on inside.
[Morgan]
I hope we get a lot of
people to come out
and enjoy that delicious
grilled crispy chicken sandwich.
Grilled crispy chicken
sandwich today?
Is that a fried sandwich, the
grilled crispy chicken sandwich?
Oh, no sir, we do not say
the "F" word in here.
-What do we say?
-[all] Crispy.
-One more time.
-Crispy.
That's right.
[reporter]
The food is advertised
as 100% natural.
-[Morgan] All natural.
-[all] All natural.
-Farm to table.
-[all] Farm to table.
Antibiotic-free, hormone-free,
humanely raised...
The big, beautiful green awning
just screams fresh and natural.
We're going to be the most
honest and most transparent,
the most authentic fast-food
restaurant you're ever been to.
OK.
This Saturday, 11:00 am,
grand opening.
-One, two, three...
-[cheering]
[engine revs]
[phone line trilling]
Hi, you've reached
the voice mail for Tom Super,
-please leave a message.
-[beep]
Hey, Tom,
it's Morgan Spurlock calling.
Uh, give me a call back when you
get a chance on my cell.
I would love to talk to you
whenever you get a minute.
Hope you're good, man.
Thanks. Bye.
Do you remember that letter
that I got from the guy
at the Chicken Council in D.C.
warning "chicken people"
all about me making this movie?
Well, I'm in Washington, D.C.,
to track down Tom Super,
the guy who wrote that letter.
That's him.
[voicemail]
Hi, you've reached Tom Super.
Please leave a message.
[Morgan]
The grand opening of my chicken
restaurant is this Saturday,
so I felt like it's the least
I could do to invite him.
Hey, how are you?
I'm going up
to the fourth floor.
-May I see your I.D.?
-Sure, of course.
-Cool, thanks.
Am I good to head up?
-Yeah.
Thank you very much.
Hey, how are you?
-Good.
-Good.
-May I help you?
-Yeah, I'm here
to see Tom Super.
-I'll see if he's available.
-Cool. Thanks.
-If you could wait here.
-Oh, wait here? Oh.
The way she looked
down that hallway
makes me think Tom Super
just went to the bathroom.
Tom's not in the office.
-He's not in? He's not here?
-No.
-No? OK.
-Mm-mm.
So could I leave you something
for you, for him then?
Yeah.
It's an invitation to a--
I have a restaurant
opening in Columbus.
So could you pass this
off to him?
'Cause I wanted to make sure
he was invited to come.
Did you take pictures
of our logo?
'Cause that's not allowed.
-That's not allowed. OK.
-[cameraman] OK.
-How did you get up here?
-How did we get up here?
-Yeah.
-We took the elevator.
How did you get past security?
I'm a really nice guy.
No, that doesn't work. [laughs]
It's true. It's true.
OK, I'll put this on Tom's desk.
Put that on Tom's desk.
I appreciate it.
-OK.
-Thank you very much.
-[reporter] Joining us
this morning...
-[Morgan] Morning.
You know his face,
you know his name.
The director, producer
Morgan Spurlock
is now opening up
his own fast-food restaurant
[over radio] right here
in Columbus in a building
that used to be a Wendy's.
[Morgan on radio]
Used to be a Wendy's.
Our goal is to take over,
you know,
the bones of old,
dead fast-food restaurants
all over America.
[reporter]
But why are you choosing
to start off in Columbus?
[Morgan]
Well, 'cause Columbus is the
test market capital of America,
So what better place to taste
the Grilled Crispy Chicken
sandwich than in Columbus, Ohio?
[reporter]
Well, that's something
to look forward to.
[Morgan]
Ribbon cutting's at 10:30,
-11:00 am grand opening.
-All right,
gonna be something
new in store there.
Well, coming up,
it's Wild Wednesday.
Lisa's out
checking out four new...
[paper rustles]
Today is the big day.
Today we're finally opening.
[man]
Fast food, fresh,
local, healthier.
It's long overdue.
I'm sure it'll be good.
I think it's gonna help
change people's lives.
It's gonna make
people healthier.
I'm not... expecting anything
less than that. [laughs]
But now the real question is,
are people actually ready
for a 100% transparent,
honest food experience?
And...
we'll find out.
-Thank you guys
so much for coming.
-[cheering]
Nice to meet you, come on in.
Come on in.
Thanks for coming, guys.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Thanks for being here.
Nice to meet you.
I am so excited.
Thank you, everyone,
for being here today.
-You guys braved the weather
to come here.
-[cheering]
Now, most of you
probably thought
that this is the last place
that you would ever see me.
And, believe me, 12 years ago
when I was throwing up
out of the side of a car window
after stuffing myself with
McDonald's, this was the last
place I thought I'd ever see me.
[laughter]
But...
[ethereal music]
I've had a revelation.
After watching fast-food
business continue to grow,
seeing how these companies
say that they're changing,
that they're becoming
more healthy,
that they're becoming
everything we wanted them to be.
And every year these chains
continue to sell us
the same tired food,
only now, with new and improved
marketing and spin.
Today is the first step
towards total honesty
in a lying industry.
Today, we tell you everything
that they never would.
Ladies and gentlemen...
I give you...
Holy Chicken!
[all]
Holy Chicken!
[various reporters]
Holy Chicken! Holy Chicken!
Holy Chicken!
So that will be the name of it,
Holy Chicken!
Holy Chicken!
I would like to present you
this certificate
and welcome you officially
to the State of Ohio.
That is fantastic.
Thank you so much.
[reporter] At Holy Chicken!
near Westerville,
the line was out the door.
Welcome to Holy Chicken!
How may I help you today?
Could I please do the Grilled
Crispy Chicken Sandwich?
A Grilled Crispy Chicken
Sandwich, you got it.
-Grilled Crispy...
-Regular, not spicy.
A regular sandwich and a spicy.
One regular, one spicy.
Grilled Crispy Chicken Sandwich.
We'll call your name
when your food is ready.
Honesty never tasted so good.
-Welcome to Holy Chicken!
-This is delicious.
-Mmm.
-Really good.
Can I get a bun, please?
-Very, very fresh.
-Oh, yeah.
It's a solid sandwich.
It's actually...
-deep fried.
-Mm-hmm.
We don't say that "F" word
at--at Holy Chicken!
[all] Crispy!
[Morgan]
Just like the rest of the
fast-food industry,
we never use the "F" word here.
-We never call it fried.
-Sorry.
-We never call it [mumbles]
-[laughter]
-Even though it is.
-[all] Crispy!
That way you can feel better
about yourself
while eating craveable,
greasy food.
Hi! Welcome to Holy Chicken!
-[laughter]
-[man] Tawanda. Tawanda.
Come on up, Tawanda.
[Morgan] We'll call your name
when your food's ready,
but while you wait, be sure
and take a look around.
See the frickin'...
Yeah. Interesting signage
around here.
Next customer.
Welcome to Holy Chicken!
-Can I interest you in any
of our health halo items today?
-Yes, please.
All of our items on the board
actually have the halo
around them,
and ultimately a health halo
makes our food seem
way better for you
than it actually is.
"We surround our food
with a glowing healthy halo."
"Which often results
in increased consumption."
[man]
The average Holy Chicken order
contains 1,000 calories?
Oh, my God.
According to nutritionists,
it's technically
a meal and a half.
Next customer.
[woman] Julia A.
-What can I get you?
-I'll take a spicy sandwich.
Would you like an order
of Little Cluckers
for your little clucker?
-Sure.
-All right, done.
[man] Crunchy greens
and a side of sauce.
"100% committed to goodness
by which we mean
using words like 'goodness'
to make you feel good." [laughs]
Be sure and take a look
at our word wall.
-All natural?
-Fresh.
-Artisanal.
-Antibiotic-free?
-Transparent.
-Better.
Free-range?
[woman] Legally speaking...
[man] ...they don't mean much.
[laughs]
By painting these walls
this lively shade of green...
We're helping you believe
our food is fresh and natural.
So...
We've got wood
to make you think of barns.
Healthier.
-Locally sourced wood
and... shit.
-Shh...
Feel free to roam around
the free-range zone there, OK.
-Hey, you guys are
in the free-range zone.
-Yeah, we're ranging.
This is the exact same amount
of space we gave our chickens
to be free-range.
This is so tiny.
Luckily, they never
go outside, anyway.
They get so big so quickly
they can barely walk.
-Oh, gosh.
-Big chickens.
Mom, look! Mom, look!
-[clucking]
-[laughing]
Farm to table, technically
a giant windowless warehouse
with thousands of obese
chickens crammed together
is a chicken farm.
That's so sad.
[Morgan]
One Grilled Crispy
Chicken regular.
Feel free to take some
time to look around.
We'll call your name
when your order's ready.
Next customer.
Welcome to Holy Chicken!
How may I help you?
Better for you.
-Sounds great.
-Means nothing.
Be sure to take a look around.
Honesty never tasted so good.
Next customer.
Welcome to Holy Chicken!
How may I help you?
Does this look like that--
the farmer guy?
-That's him.
-Is that him?
That is him.
-That's pretty cool.
-That's the guy. That's him.
Two regular, one spicy.
I can't believe I drove
all the way from Alabama...
for a chicken sandwich.
We'll call your name
when the food's ready.
-Look at that guy.
-Hey! How you doing, Morgan?
-How are you, man?
-Good. Great to see you.
This is our chicken farmer.
Farmer Jonathan.
Let's hear it
for farmer Jonathan.
[cheers and applause]
That's neat. [laughs]
Wow.
Let me get down close
for you can see it.
Oh, we can see the resemblance
without--[laughs]
Do I look like that guy?
-You're better looking
than him.
-[Connie laughs]
I was having
a rough day that day.
[Connie]
You messed up your hair.
[sighs]
[Morgan] We actually tell...
[woman] This is Farmer Jonathan.
...your story.
[Jonathan]
Amazing.
[Morgan]
And what's happened to you
and your battles
with Big Chicken.
[Jonathan]
I'm amazed.
[man] "If you win, your neighbor
is totally clucked!"
I never would have thought
I would have saw this done.
[Morgan]
Because people have no idea
how they take advantage
of farmers.
-I'm amazed, I mean...
-Awesome.
Yeah.
-It's great. It's great.
-That makes me happy.
This means that all the work
I've done in the past
is not in vain.
[Morgan]
Yeah.
[Jonathan]
I hope y'all build
thousands of chains.
[upbeat music]
Welcome to Holy Chicken!
How may I help you?
I'll have a regular.
Regular Grilled Crispy Chicken?
Grilled Crispy Chicken
Sandwich for here.
And y'all feel free to move
about the free-range zone.
[man] The fake grill marks.
-Seriously, though?
-Yeah.
And we lightly
brush it with charcoal
just to give it that
grilled look and feel.
I love the irony here.
So everything's fried
to be crisp--
[staff]
Crispy!
Kinda like bullshit,
but it's reverse bullshit.
-That's right.
-[laughter]
[woman]
Two crispy sandwiches.
Two regular sandwiches,
fantastic.
-Would you like one
of our local beverages?
-I'm all right.
You're just gonna have
the holy water?
-Yes.
-Also local.
[man]
Did you see the sign out there?
Local just means...
It's here right now.
-For here or to go?
-For here.
-Great!
-Crispy Chicken Sandwich
for here.
See, I do it all
at Holy Chicken. Boom!
Be sure and take a look around.
Honesty never tasted so good.
Not photos
of our actual chickens.
Like, those are photos
of our actual chickens.
[man]
I'm not gonna forget this
the next time I go eat chicken
somewhere else.
-That's right.
-If I do.
I can't finish my meal.
You don't want to see that.
I'm not sure if
I really want to know.
You're still eating it. [laughs]
-Thank you, sir.
-[staff] Crispy!
Seeing this living piece
shoved in people's faces
and the direct contradiction of
evidence here is--it's awesome.
[Morgan]
Take a look around.
It's too good to be true!
Next customer. How are you, sir?
Anything that we can do
to make people understand
and make different choices
is a good thing.
[woman]
But then by bringing this out,
wouldn't it discourage people
from going to restaurants
like this?
Mmm.
Mmm.
Mmmm.
-Mmm!
-Mmm!
How many we got, guys?
-We've got lots more orders.
-OK.
I'm sorry, we were
overrun today,
but we--we are out of
chicken sandwiches for today.
We still have
the Little Cluckers
chicken tenders.
[Morgan]
Like my father always said,
"If something seems
too good to be true,
well, it probably is."
You know what,
all you companies out there,
you just keep doing
what you're doing.
'Cause I'm gonna keep
doing what I'm doing,
and I'm gonna open
more of these.
And in time...
I might just put you
and me out of business.
[singer]
Sometimes I got
plenty of liquor,
Sometimes I ain't got none
But whenever you come
to my place
There's always some
chicken for everyone
Maybe you like it on a plate
Maybe you want it on a bun
Well, whenever you
come to my place
There's always some
chicken for everyone
- You want to fly?
-[chorus] Oh, my!
- How 'bout a wing?
- Makes my heart sing!
In my dining room,
you can consume
A drumstick that makes
your heart go boom!
So when your icebox is empty
hen your breadbox is done
Just come on over
to my place
There's always some
chicken for everyone
- Some...
- Chicken!
For everyone!
Delicious!
[Jazz music playing]
[singer]
With a little bit of chicks
in the chicken coop,
Picking crumbs off the floor
So who'd suspect
a thing from us
When we chicken walk
across the floor?
When the farmer comes
every morning to feed
Ain't nothing
that we want more
But every night
that farmer comes down to see
What the racket
is behind the door
He says, what we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What we got here?
Nothing but chicken
Nothing but chickens
in the house tonight
What we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What we got here?
Nothing but chicken
Nothing but chickens
in the house tonight
What we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What we got here?
Nothing but chicken
Nothing but chickens
in the house tonight
Every day upon the farm
it's the same old thing
Every day is like
the one before
Got to lay them eggs
Got to clean out roosts
Got to pick, pick,
missed them claws
When the day is finally done
and the doors are shut
We like to cut a rug or two
All the animals sneak
to see the show
Till the farmer comes
passing through
Said, what do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What do we got here?
- Nothing but chicken
- You
What do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
Nothing but chickens
in the house tonight
What do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
Nothing but chickens
in the house tonight
What do we got here?
- Nothing but chicken
- Hey!
What do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
You. What do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
Nothing but chickens
in the house tonight
What do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
What do we got here?
Nothing but chicken
Nothing but chickens
in the house tonight