How Chicken Became An American Obsession

Unknown: Almost a lifestyle brand if you want to have some experience. Are you worried about what

chicken

nuggets are? yeah, sometimes no, I don't, but I highly doubt it's the best pink

chicken

slime reality TV series that happens in real time with real companies in real dollars and with really delicious food at stake, it's two pieces of bread, a piece of fried chicken, dill. pickled cucumbers and a splash of lamb. Who would have thought that such a humble sandwich could create the bathroom floor at a fast food restaurant? Chick fil A has long dominated the chicken sandwich.

This simple sandwich is part of what propelled Chick fil A to become the third largest fast food chain in the US despite being closed on Sundays. Chick fil A is Race to the Top, as even McDonald's, our franchisees, asked the company to develop a worthy competitor to the Chick fil A sandwich in the summer of 2019. A formidable opponent for Chick fil A emerged and it was not McDonald's. Popeye's Kitchen in Louisiana introduced its crispy chicken sandwich and conflict began to brew in a sandwich challenge. Chick fil A dominates the chicken sandwich category and the biggest names in fast food entered the fray.

Popeye's sold out of the chicken sandwich in about two weeks. During that time. Analysts say other chicken chains, including Chick fil A, lost customers to Popeyes. Americans now order and eat more chicken than ever. In a highly competitive industry like fast food, brands are quick to claim their rights. Chains that have long relied on chicken like Chick fil A and Popeyes are well positioned to win. Others, like McDonald's, which focuses on burgers, have missed out on money spent by chicken-hungry fans. One thing is clear, fast food customers want chicken sandwiches and the trend shows no sign of slowing down.

Now big chains are scrambling to deliver despite supply chain problems and fierce competition. Part of Chick Fil A's brand message has been that it didn't invent chicken, just the chicken sandwich. But American Studies professor Psych Williams Forsen says people have been eating this type of sandwich since they ate bread and poultry. There is evidence that many early colonial households that could afford the ingredients to make bread and had any type of bird ate bread and bird together. How they did it is not necessarily known. And of course, over the centuries, we ended up with what we know as the sandwich and, furthermore, the chicken sandwich.

And chicken sandwich competition isn't exactly new, either. Ebony Magazine searched black newspaper archives and found ads for the chicken sandwich dating back to 1936. Chick fil A is the founder of Truett. Cathy invented the chain's original chicken sandwich in 1964. That sandwich was made of boneless chicken breast, breaded and fried with peanut oil and served on a toasted bun with butter and pickles. The first Chick fil A opened in 1967 and the chain has been closed on Sundays ever since. Even though Chick fil A is the third-largest U.S. restaurant chain by systemwide sales and reported more than $10 billion in revenue in 2018.

By comparison, Popeyes made $3.7 billion in sales in 2018 , making it the 25th largest chain in the U.S. When Popeye's parent company, Restaurant Brands International, quietly discussed a new menu item and its May 2019 investor day, it didn't know the launch of the product would cause such a frenzy. It was the first time in its nearly 50-year history that Popeyes offered a chicken sandwich available nationwide. In the past, their menu tended to focus more on bone-in products. This sandwich is a white meat breast filet, pan-battered and breaded with a layer of buttermilk, served on a brioche bun. There is a version with normal mayonnaise and another was spicy masculine.

Popeye launched its sandwich on August 12, 2019. A week later, this sandwich sparked a virtual showdown between some of the biggest names in fast food. Chick fil A tweeted an equation suggesting their sandwich was the original and the best Popeye's had a simple but pointed response to Chick fil A Are you guys okay? There, the registry prompted other chicken brands to enter the conversation. Soon Wendy's and Shake Shack joined the Twitter feud. This is what people love to see, they love to see people doing it and, you know, in a fun and competitive way, of course, but this is the reality television series that happens in real time with companies. real dollars and really delicious food at stake.

Those tweets set off a social media storm and nearly doubled Popeye's Twitter followers from 100,000 to 180,000. One marketing group estimated that Popeyes received more than $65.1 million in equivalent advertising value from media mentions between Aug. 12 and Aug. 27. The impact of the sandwiches was greater than simply raising Popeye's profile among consumers. It was also a big help to Popeyes' results, thanks in part to sales of chicken sandwiches that the stores opened more than a year ago and grew 9.7% in the third quarter of 2019. By comparison, a growth of 2.5% in the third quarter of 2018. One analyst estimated that Popeye's sold about 1,000 chicken sandwiches a day, with the sandwich accounting for about 30% of sales.

Well, at least it was available. After about two weeks with the chicken sandwich on the menu, Popeye's nationwide began to sell out. He simply ran out of chicken tenders. Fans began posting photos of handwritten sold-out signs and Popeye's doors and self-service menus. Popeyes was even sued by an angry customer for selling the sandwich. He was saying he saw pop market share more than double and then saw walk-in traffic share drop at Chick fil A, McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's. The infamous "All of you good guys" tweet happened just as Wendy's was launching its spicy. chicken sandwich and, just as Burger King was rolling out the Impossible Whopper nationwide, it somehow took the momentum out of those promotions for a few days.

But the positive impact of the Popeye sandwich was not limited to just that change. The third quarter is the most important part of the year for fast food companies because it includes the summer months, a crucial sales season. The third quarter has been very successful for fast food in general. I think it was probably the fastest sales growth in several years, and the chicken sandwich bears some responsibility for the growth of that sector. The hype around Popeyes' national launch of its chicken sandwich actually benefited its competitors. Chicken-focused fast food restaurants like KFC and Chick fil A saw a spike in traffic in late August 2019.

During a typical summer weekend. Popeyes Chick fil A Zach's B's and KFC would receive around 8.3 million visitors. According to a foot traffic analysis platform, its AI, but at the peak of the chicken sandwich, chains had 10.1 million visitors over one weekend. And now Popeye's has its sandwich back. Its nationwide launch on November 3, 2019 saw large crowds and traffic at Popeye's that day increased almost 300% more than normal. One analyst estimated that busy Popeyes locations were selling up to 1,500 chicken sandwiches per store each day. Within the first 10 days, the sandwich returned, effectively doubling sales volume at those stores and Popeyes' competitors are racing to keep up in July 2019.

American McDonald's franchisees asked the company to add a chicken sandwich Southern style to rival Chick Fil A's. Franchisees said McNuggets and MC chicken sandwiches were not enough to compete in the premium chicken sandwich category. On an earnings call. McDonald's said it lost some business in the chicken sector. In December 2019, McDonald's began testing a crispy chicken sandwich and officially entered the chicken sandwich wars. Well, they said on their conference call that they actually lost share in the chicken segment, they gained share in the burger segment. Clearly, this is a problem for them that they are trying to correct.

Franchisees have been asking for a premium chicken sandwich for some time, you know, the sandwich isn't likely to be hand breaded the same way it's hand battered and hand breaded like at Popeye's. Therefore, McDonald's will have to find a way to take advantage of its main advantages, which are speed, convenience and value. The war is far from over. And if I had to make a longer-term prediction, I wouldn't predict that Chick fil A would be a loser in that chicken war overall, there's so much momentum behind that company's growth and so much brand equity that it just resonates with young consumers. . , old and everywhere in many ways.

For decades, hamburgers have been the American sandwich of choice on fast food menus. Now chicken sandwiches are stealing some of the limelight. Chicken sandwiches are still number two, but they are gaining traction among consumers faster than burgers. According to market research firm NPD Group, for the year ending February 2019, 4 billion servings of chicken sandwiches were ordered in American restaurants. During the same period of time. Burgers were more popular, with 8.6 billion orders, while orders for chicken sandwiches increased 4%, while orders for burgers remained stable. On average. Diners still buy hamburgers more often than chicken sandwiches. But burger makers should not rest assured.

In general, chicken consumption is increasing. From 1960 to 2018, per capita chicken consumption increased 235% to 93.8 pounds per year. During the same period, per capita beef consumption fell 9.6%. 1991 was the last year people ate more beef than chicken. In 2018, Americans ate about 94 pounds of chicken compared to 57 pounds of beef. Yeah, it's a pretty dramatic difference in that, you know, and that's a reversal from 4050 years ago if this wasn't always the case, and it shows what technological progress, changes and consumer habits can make that combination of factors change. our diets. Analysts point to three main factors that have contributed to increased chicken consumption: health problems, technological advances and a growing population.

The National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization have linked red meat consumption to heart disease and cancer. Some have pointed to white meats such as chicken and fish as a healthier alternative. Technological advances have also made it possible to produce larger chickens more quickly, and the price of chicken has fallen in recent years. If you look at what has happened to the price of chicken relative to, for example, beef, it has fallen about 45% in the last 20 years. So today, chicken costs about a third of the retail price of beef. Something similar has happened with pork.

So today chicken costs about half as much as pork. But in the chicken sandwich wars, not all chicken is created equal. Some pieces are better for sandwiches than others. Most fast food chains rely on breast meat for their sandwiches, which is usually more expensive, and chicken wings or thighs. Fast food restaurants have offered chicken products for years. But analysts say this social media dispute has attracted a new generation of consumers, certainly the generation that follows social media, who might go to a fast-casual restaurant. Maybe your Chipotle consumer or your Shake Shack consumer isn't really looking for traditional fast food. like having a high-quality next-level experience.

And so by having a product that's that, you know it rivals the Chicken Shack and it's going to bring in a generation that's probably never had a Big Mac before. Burger orders can hold steady. But despite attracting a new audience, analysts don't think chicken sandwiches will overtake burgers anytime soon. If you grew up in the United States in the last 70 years, chances are you've eaten a chicken nugget. Whether your nuggets come in a McDonald's box or in the freezer aisle, chicken nuggets have long been a staple for American families. But have you ever had one cooked from scratch at home?

We did an experiment inspired by famous chef Jamie Oliver. If people saw how chicken nuggets were made, would they still want to eat them? Do you know what's in a chicken nugget? No. Are you worried about what's in a chicken nugget? Yes, sometimes no, I don't. But I doubta lot of it being top-notch chicken. Pink slime. No. That's why I don't eat it very often because I don't think it's a mystery meat. I know. It's like just a bunch of chicken cut up and different, like maybe there are bones in there. We recognize that the composition of chicken nuggets is questionable.

The history of candy has been marred by bad press, but Americans ate 2.3 billion servings of it in restaurants last year. However, demand for chicken nuggets in fast food establishments and restaurants has stagnated. Experts say this is because chicken nuggets don't generate big profits and restaurants are unlikely to innovate around them. Restaurants only have a certain amount of space on their menu and as a low cost item. Nuggets don't make much money. Customers expect to be able to buy large quantities of chicken nuggets at super low prices, and the future is not looking better for the growth of chicken nuggets.

Its menu penetration is expected to fall 5.4% over the next four years. In the last 10 years, nuggets have decreased by 10% of the children's menu, while chicken tenders have increased by 25%. So why is demand for nuggets stagnating? First of all, we must understand what made them so popular. Nowadays we can't help but associate Chicken Nuggets with McDonald's, famous for selling large portions of McNuggets at low prices. Credit for inventing chicken nuggets usually goes to the Golden Arches. But it turns out you have a scientist to thank for your chicken nugget creations. McDonald's introduced chicken nuggets in 1983, years after a researcher laid the groundwork for them.

In the 1950s, a Cornell University professor invented a variety of processed chicken products, including hot dogs and chicken nuggets, to convince Americans to eat more chicken. His work was for scientific research, not commercial products, and he didn't wait for chicken nuggets to take off. When chicken nuggets came out in the 1950s, they weren't very popular. He said. After World War II, processed foods were considered safer and more reliable. Food processing methods were developed during wars to ensure soldiers on the front lines were fed. After the war, companies had to find another market for their new technology.

Attitudes towards food processing have changed dramatically over the last 3,040 years. Perhaps when it was first introduced, people saw it as hygienic because human hands did not touch the food. They saw it as efficient because you could get food directly from the field canned or frozen. And that was supposedly, you know, going to set the taste in 1983, after the government recommended that people eat less red meat, McDonald's introduced the battered and fried chicken nugget. McNugget mania's ad campaign presents the nugget as a delicious, cheap snack for sharing your camera system. Moms love children and take them home.

Chicken nuggets

became

popular because they were inexpensive, uniform, and easy to eat. Regardless of whether you are not good at the driving section or the frozen section, you usually know what to expect. People love to eat food with their hands, a trend they praise called denial and which also hides the origin of food. When you eat a chicken nugget, you don't really know what it is. The fact that nuggets don't look like an animal makes them more popular. Most people don't want to be reminded that their food is too new or on point. It is not for ethical reasons or because people are eating less meat.

We are simply apprehensive. McDonald's launched its Nuggets with three exclusive sauces: sweet and sour mustard and spicy grilled. The product development manager thought that with the variety of dipping flavors, the large nuggets are more attractive to customers. They were right. Customers love Naga foods that easily tie foods together because the sauce adds another layer of customization to their order. We've been eating chicken nuggets for years, but there are three main factors working against them. health concerns, bad press and new competition. Consumer attitudes about health are changing. Processed foods are losing popularity as consumers look for more natural alternatives.

In very general terms, among all consumers there is what we call the search for purity in our food, that is, we look for food that is real food, authentic food that is minimally processed. In 2010, reports about chicken nuggets made with Pink Goop spread across the Internet, a photo rumored to have been taken inside a plant that made food for McDonald's surfaced, and people said it should mechanically separate the chicken, a product made by forcing bones with attached adipose tissue. through a seed. Edible tissue includes everything left in the bone, including blood vessels, cartilage, and skin. And McDonald's said the photo doesn't show how it makes the nuggets.

Due to changing consumer preferences. In 2003, they switched to using 100% white meat in nuggets. While McDonald's promises to use 100% white meat, it does not indicate what percentage of the nugget is meat. In response to the photo of the pink substance. McDonald's posted a video from a McNuggets supplier in Canada. The video shows employees making a paste with chicken breast and skin that will be turned into nuggets. McDonald's did not respond to requests for comment for this video. But its earnings report shows that consumers like the shift to white meat. There isn't much regulation on what can and can't be in a nugget.

Go to any frozen food aisle and you'll find gluten-free chicken nuggets, chicken breast nuggets, and even veggie nuggets. This is how the US Department of Agriculture finds nuggets. Nuggets are irregularly shaped meat or poultry products, usually bite-sized, that are usually breaded and fried in fat and intended to be used as snacks. There are three types of solid beef nuggets, ground beef nuggets and ground beef nuggets with additives. The labeling rules are different for all three, but one rule is constant. Any breaded nugget product cannot have more than 30% breaded nuggets made from solid pieces of meat that may be labeled simply as nuggets.

The process for making ground beef nuggets, like the ones we made before, should be clear on the packaging. For example, chicken nugget, chopped and formed. Nuggets made from ground meat with additives such as binders or water can be used to describe a product, but more details are needed. The USDA says nugget-shaped, breaded chicken patties are proper labels. U.S. labeling guidelines do not specify how much meat a nugget should contain. In 2013, researchers at the University of Mississippi studied the composition of two nuggets and found that they contained more fat than meat. The researchers obtained the nuggets from two national food chains, but did not identify which one.

It's also worth noting that two nuggets is a very small sample size. The bad press for nuggets didn't end with this study or the reports about the pink goo. A federal judge called McNuggets a creation of MC Frankenstein in 2003 after a group of teenagers claimed McDonald's food was making them obese. Earlier this year, some of the country's largest producers recalled more than 120,000 pounds of chicken nuggets, with consumers finding pieces of plastic or wood in the nuggets or noticing that they were incorrectly labeled. And finally there is another chicken product that kids love: chicken strips. Well, the data found that chicken nugget servings at restaurants were declining slightly;

Servings of chicken strips actually increased in 2018 compared to 2017. Researchers say consumers aren't swapping nuggets for strips, but rather the categories appeal to different groups. Families with young children are more likely to buy nuggets, while adults or families with teenagers buy more strips. Strips are considered an improved or healthier version of chicken nuggets. There is nothing new or innovative about a chicken strip. It has been around for a long time. But every time you take something that the American consumer already loves and innovate around it, or elevate the shape in some way, you create opportunities for growth.

So we've seen a lot of people doing this, from the world's largest restaurant chain, McDonald's, now offering premium chicken strips, to regional chains that are springing up like batons, to Zach's B's, which is tempting consumers to buying a more premium product, such as a The strip means a higher margin for restaurants. Chicken nuggets have their home in fast food. And as parents, more educated about better quality proteins. And they're changing a board of fast casual restaurants, which is seeing more of a trend in people switching to chicken strips, chicken strips, which is something that kids really like and, honestly, you know, people of all kind generations. like chicken strips.

A low birth rate could also have something to do with the stagnation of nuggets. In 2017, the U.S. birth rate hit its lowest level in 30 years, Americans are not having enough babies to replace the population, and population growth is increasingly dependent on immigration. Data shows that chicken strips appear on restaurant menus more frequently than chicken nuggets, with a higher menu penetration of 14.2%. However, over time, menu penetration of chicken strips has also declined, and at a faster rate than nuggets, which begs the question: Are consumers? about both? Are chicken strips really a threat to the chicken nuggets at the top of the processed meat food chain?

Although strips are gaining traction, there is no reason why strips can't thrive together. At restaurants, Americans still ate a whopping 2.3 billion nuggets last year, compared to 1.5 billion strips. So don't worry nugget lovers, there will still be nuggets to dip Chick fil A is a fast food chain with chicken sandwiches that are said to be so good that even McDonald's wants to steal them. And it has a very controversial reputation. Entire cities have banned the restaurant from their airports. Critics say Chick fil A has a history of supporting and donating millions of dollars to anti-LGBTQ organizations, which has drawn the ire of lawmakers and civilians alike.

Chick Fil A's values ​​are not Chicago values, but it also has its share of ardent fans. Regardless of what you think about company policy, Chick Fil A's sales are on the rise as of June 2019. It is the third-largest restaurant chain in the U.S. by systemwide sales and generates highest sales per store of any fast food restaurant in the country. The rise is so rapid that even McDonald's and Popeye's are taking note in July 2019. McDonald's franchise owners demanded the company add a Southern-style chicken sandwich to its menu to keep up with Chick fil A. One month later , Popeyes debuted its own buttered chicken roll sandwich with pickles, the chain's first nationally sold.

Chick fil A is also taking market share from chicken category giants like KFC and Wingstop. So how can a restaurant that's caught up in controversy and closes on Sundays be next in line to overtake Starbucks and McDonald's? It all started in Atlanta, Georgia, where Chick fil A is Kathy's founder and where the company is now headquartered. Kathy grew up watching her mother prepare traditional Southern-style chicken. In 1926, the 25-year-old and his younger brother raised about $10,000 to open a restaurant called Dwarf Grill. Legend has it that this is where Cathy invented the original Chick Fil A chicken sandwich, fried in peanut oil and served on a bun with pickles.

The menu item was sold out regularly. Then, in 1967, she opened the first Chick fil A in Atlanta's Greenbrier shopping center. From the beginning, Cathy implemented a policy that is still in effect to this day: all stores would be closed on Sundays. As a devout Christian, she reasoned that Sundays were for spiritual worship. Kathy brought those Christian values ​​with her to Chick Fil A's flagship store, which featured a cheerful logo of a bright red chicken. Kathy said that the a in the company's name stood for quality A chicken. She was one of the first to envision installing fast food in shopping centers, and shopping centers began to gain popularity.

Chick fil A was taken on the road between 1971 and 1974. Chick fil A tripled in size, expanding to the rest of Georgia andthe Carolinas and continuing south and southwest. In 1986, Chick fil A decided to grow beyond the mall by opening its first stand-alone restaurant. By 1993, its 500th restaurant had opened, but this pushed it into competition with established chicken-focused fast-food chains like KFC, which also opened in the South 15 years before Chick fil A Chick fil A didn't have as much money as those companies. spend on advertising. So he decided to make a splash in another way. In 1995, he put up huge billboards on the sides of roads in the Southeast.

The first poster showed a couple of cows scribbling Eat more chicken to try to get people to stop eating beef. The campaign went viral and it worked. In 2000, the privately held company hit $1 billion in sales, doubling its performance since billboards debuted. It also rose to the third-largest fast food chain in the chicken category behind KFC and Popeye's. That was also the year that Cathy and her three children signed an agreement promising to uphold the principles of Chick Fil A. The agreement included remaining closed on Sundays and never taking the company public. You know, the company culture is unique and has clearly generated a lot of success and culture.

It's all intertwined, as if you pulled a thread and the whole blanket could unravel. And sometimes, if a company is public, someone might want to pull a thread and not realize, wow, that's the thread that could unravel the whole cloak here. Chick fil A's rapid growth was also fueled by some key innovations in its operating structure. Each franchise is owned by an independent operator who typically has only one unit and no other business, a model that remains relatively unique in the fast food business. This allowed franchise owners to focus on the restaurant and truly be connected to the community.

The composition of employees is another differentiator of the brand. Chick fil A has said that two-thirds of Chick fil A employees grew up working for the company doing shifts in high school and college and eventually returned to pursue careers at Chick fil A after graduating. Chick fil A is extremely selective as to who can even become an operator. That structure has created a network of experienced franchise owners who were loyal to the brand. The main reason they are successful is that they have people who are in the stores every day. They have gone through a tough training process.

They believe strongly in the brand and interact with customers, so they interact with the employee. They are interacting with everyone and it really works. The franchise agreement also allows operators to open restaurants at an extremely low cost. The initial fee is only $10,000. By comparison, the fee at McDonald's is $45,000 and at Wendy's it is $40,000. Debt relief from a huge initial feat. Chick fil A franchise operators can invest more funds into growing and improving their store. The Sunday closing policy also applies to Chick Fil A's stadium operations; its Mercedes Benz branch even remained closed when the Super Bowl was held there in 2019.

Analysts say the policy comes at a high price. If you do the math, I think it equates to about $1.7 billion in system-wide sales lost by being closed on Sundays. Now, that assumes you just opened on Sundays and everything else is working as normal. But they also say closing could help the chain provide better service. All employees can expect time off no matter how hard they work Monday through Saturday, and sometimes that rest and relaxation can do a person a lot of good. On top of that, you know, guests like it, they better go to Chick fil.

A restaurant arrives before Sunday because if they find time on Sunday and they have that craving on Sunday and they show up on Sunday, we won't get food from that Chick fil A restaurant in 2018. There were 2,352 Chick Fil A's in businesses with 234 in shopping centers, 264 on college campuses and 73 in hospitals, businesses or airports. Chick fil A's culture today still centers on the Christian values ​​that Kathy founded the chain on. outside its headquarters in Atlanta. A plaque with Chick Fil A's mission statement still hangs. Analysts point to the chain's religious backbone as the driving force behind the company's No. 1 ranking and customer service for four years, from 2015 to 2019.

In a 2018 survey of drive-throughs, Chick fil A employees were reported to smile 91.4% of the time. while employees at the next highest chain, KFC, smiled 78.5% of the time. Basically, you're starting to see that they're almost a lifestyle brand if you walk in and see the experience from the moment you walk in and it's so fresh. kid with a face you know, says hello thank you, you know, they're polite, they walk around helping you speeds up beyond a simple food transaction, this whole experience and I think you're starting to see some of your You know, the bigger brands really try , you know, everything they can to emulate that and try to give you an experience.

Chick Fil A's Christian values ​​have also been a source of much controversy in recent years. In July 2012, Chick fil A came under fire after Truett Cathy Sun and the company's current president, Dan Cathy, publicly expressed their views on gay marriage. He told the Baptist press that he was guilty of supporting the biblical definition of the family unit. The comments sparked backlash in the form of boycotts and LGBT kitchens at Chick fil A restaurants across the country. According to a YouGov brand satisfaction measure. The company's rating fell to its lowest level in two years after the comments.

On the day of Dan Cathy's first comments, Chick Fil A's rating was 6,519 points above average, but four days later, the chain had fallen to 47. Even though the comments damaged the brand's reputation, the The company's annual sales improved in 2012. The company earned $4 billion. in systemwide sales, up 13% from $3.6 billion a year earlier, but they also grew 7.4% in average unit sales. Dan Cathy said in 2014 that he regretted publicly commenting on gay marriage and that he would stay out of political debates. But in 2017, reports revealed that the Chick fil A Foundation had donated millions to what critics say are our anti-LGBT groups, including donations to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a sports ministry that believes homosexual misconduct is not It is natural in the eyes of God.

Once again, sales remained unscathed. Chick fil A made $8 billion in systemwide sales in 2017. Up 15% from the previous year, and the company still hasn't redeemed itself among LGBT fans. During the 2019 Pride Parade in New York City, attendees carved a large dollars to 9 billion dollars. Its sales per store are higher than any other fast food chain: $4 million. McDonald's generates $2.7 million per unit and, in 2019,

became

the third-largest restaurant chain in the United States by systemwide sales. It surpassed Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell and Subway in just one year. Since 2007, Chick fil A has doubled its store count to 2,400 restaurants, with the majority of its restaurants still in the south and southwest.

Texas, for example, tops the list with 391 restaurants, while Georgia has 218. However, based on its history of store openings, it appears that the company is slowly working to expand its presence and other regions between 2011 and 2018. For example , the company grew From having a location in New York to having it 1,725 ​​years ago, this was a much smaller regional concept. And today you know, depending on which source you use it a lot, it is the third largest restaurant concept in the entire country. And they are still poorly penetrated in some of those densely populated areas of the country. They will open on Sundays at all.

So they are a great player. The chain is also a growing threat to other fast food chains. Technomic estimates that Chick fil A posted more than $10 billion in revenue in 2018 and grew 13.5%, while McDonald's grew just 2.5%. In July 2019, a group of McDonald's franchise owners signed a joint letter asking the company to add a Southern-style chicken sandwich to its menu. Chick Fil A's results demonstrate the power of chicken: The board of directors wrote that a chicken sandwich at McDonald's should be our top priority. The company is an especially big threat to other chicken-focused restaurants between 2009 and 2018. Chick fil A went from owning 19.3% of the chicken fast food market to 38.5%.

Their chicken menu doesn't change, we're chicken experts, you know occasionally we'll give you some extra spicy chicken or like I said, fish or whatever. But I think by maniacally focusing on what they do, it allows them to focus on all those extras: they know the service, the atmosphere, you know, they're not always looking for what the next big LTO is going to be, just the energy. of your brand. And what they do every day is to grow their brand again from the perspective of excellence. So is there a limit to Chick fil? Truett Cathy died in 2014, leaving her three children to inherit the company and the $11 billion family fortune.

Dan Cathy is now the company's president and CEO, while his brother Baba is executive vice president of the privately held company and declined to comment for this article and is keeping his financial information and goals secret. But analysts say that if Chick fil A can maintain its growth, there are important regions the chain has not yet dominated. Chick fil A plans to open its first international location in 2019 in Toronto and plans to open at least 15 more locations in Canada. Going forward, they just need to make sure they have the management infrastructure because, you know, as any company gets bigger and bigger, it becomes much more difficult to make sure that the quality of what it does is maintained.

So if I had to guess, will they make it? Yes, but there is no 100% certainty in the future. And I'm sure they are aware of that and try to work as hard as they can to make sure that the odds of success for them are as high as possible.