GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The fast-food chain, Chick-fil-A, is one of America’s favorite restaurants. Customers wait in long lines for the restaurant’s famous chicken meals. The Washington Post reported in 2019, Chick-fil-A is the third largest fast food chain bypassing Wendy’s, Burger King, Taco Bell and Subway.
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index data in 2022, continued to be a leader in the fast-food industry for the eighth year in a row and received a score of 83 percent. The Christian Broadcasting Network stated, the ACSI data is determined by order accuracy, food quality, facility cleanliness, mobile ordering, and staff helpfulness.
Plans to go abroad
The Wall Street Journal reported that Chick-fil-A plans to go global. Andrew Cathy has been the CEO of Chick-fil-A since 2021. He said it’s important for Chick-fil-A “to continue to innovate and try and test how we will do in international markets so that we can learn.”
The WSJ stated, the company’s “U.S. sales have quadrupled in the past decade, with its restaurants averaging more yearly sales than any other fast-food chain and many sit-down ones.”
Cathy said that the company proposes to spend $1 billion on opening restaurants in Europe and Asia. He wants to have these restaurants open by 2026. According to the WSJ, the franchise currently has 2,700 restaurants in 47 states, also in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada. The chain’s first restaurant opened in Canada in 2019.
If Chick-fil-A goes into Asia, they will compete with restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC. Both of these restaurants have been in Asia for years. KFC has 24,000 international locations. He said that international growth is vital for the future of the company. It is unknown how many restaurants the company would build globally, however Cathy is targeting five international markets by 2030.
This is not the first time the company has wanted to go international. Before Dan Cathy retired, he was excited about expanding Chick-fil-A to Asia, Europe and South America. Chick-fil-A was expanded to the United Kingdom, but the restaurants were closed in 2020 due to clashes with the LGBTQ political causes. Since then, Chick-fil-A does not sponsor political causes or statements.
The company had restaurants in South Africa from 1996 to 2001. Although, they were closed down due very little brand awareness. They plan to serve chicken sandwiches, waffle fries and milkshakes in the international restaurants.
New Distribution Center
The Kansas City Star reported, Chick-fil-A is preparing to construct a distribution center in Olathe, Kan. Josh Grote, executive director of Chick-fil-A Supply, said “The Kansas City area is a prime location to invest in our business, create jobs, and grow our supply chain operation. The region has a deep pool of skilled talent that we know will excel in serving the franchise Operators, licensees and team members delivering an authentic Chick-fil-A experience at each of our locations.”
This will be the first time a distribution center is built in Kansas and the fifth in the United States. It will be completely operational in 2024. The building will be 148,000 square feet and house 60 employees. Tim McKee, CEO of the Olathe Chamber of Commerce, said “We are thrilled that Chick-fil-A Supply has chosen Olathe to open its distribution center. This investment in our market is another big win for our community and Chamber.”
$1.5M for UGA Youth Program
The University of Georgia was given $1.5 million from Chick-fil-A. In their statement, the school planned on developing a statewide youth program and having an annual youth leadership summit at UGA. UGA President Jere W. Morehead, said, “I am immensely grateful to our friends at Chick-fil-A for their generosity and their commitment to helping the University of Georgia make a positive impact on our home state. Building the leadership capacity of our youth is essential to securing a bright future for Georgia for generations to come.”
The new youth program, called LEAD, will help 30 to 40 young high school students from each state prepare for college and careers. Also, an annual summit will take place at the UGA campus and welcome students from all 159 counties in Georgia.
“Today’s young people are our future, which is why Chick-fil-A is proud to support Youth LEAD Georgia and its leadership development efforts across our state,” Brent Fielder, senior director of corporate social responsibility for Chick-fil-A, said. “This program provides an opportunity to overcome geographic barriers and socioeconomic differences by creating a network of young leaders throughout Georgia and teaching them essential leadership skills like integrity, conflict resolution and strong communication so they can positively influence their communities.”
App rewards
Chick-fil-a plans to have a new points system with its app Chick-fil-a One.
Before, it had been hard to redeem points. The company announced through an email that starting April 4, that points will be increased so customers have a better chance to redeem points. Right now, a chicken sandwich needs 600 points for redemption. Currently customers who use the app will get points for dollar they spend. It is unknown what changes will come about and if the changes will apply to all items. The update will also have new menu items that can be used as rewards along with “exclusive rewards for Red & Signature members, like Kid’s Meals and 30-count Grilled Nuggets.”
The company said that there will chances to obtain bonus points through “special promotions and challenges.” Additionally, the email said, “Don’t forget, redeeming points for rewards does not decrease your points to the next Status tier or your current status.”
“We did recently notify our members of upcoming changes to the Chick-fil-A One rewards store,” the company said in a statement. “The decision was a part of a regular evaluation process that takes into account different market conditions and costs to our business. As a result, on April 4, some of the point values required to redeem certain rewards will increase. We are confident our Chick-fil-A One membership program will continue to deliver great value to our guests. There are also changes coming based on feedback from Chick-fil-A One members that we hope our guests will be excited about. We’re adding the ability to redeem entire meals and more menu items to the rewards store.”
