Chick-fil-A is an American fast-food chain restaurant with more than 3,000 locations. It is
considered an industry leader due to its phenomenal results, including the following:
· Chick-fil-A’s average sales per restaurant were $9.3 million, while McDonald’s were $3.7
million, and Taco Bell’s were $1.9 million.
· According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, Chick-fil-A has been ranked
No. 1 in customer satisfaction for 11 consecutive years.
From the outside, it looks just like other fast-food restaurants. However, when considering its
strategies, Chick-fil-A adopts many unique ones, including the following:
· While others may say, “Don’t mix religion with business,” Chick-fil-A did the opposite by putting religion at the core of its business. Chick-fil-A’s corporate purpose is “To glorify God by being faithful stewards of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” This statement guides its decisions and actions.
· For starters, Chick-fil-A closes on Sundays, which are very busy days for restaurant businesses, to allow its employees to go to church and spend time with their families. If Chick-fil-A restaurants were to open on Sundays, it is estimated that they would generate 14 percent more sales.
· Because Chick-fil-A wanted to give ordinary people, not just investors with deep pockets, a chance to serve their communities, a low franchise fee of $10,000 was required, which was much lower than that of competitors. Ordinary people can easily get a loan for that amount. The company invests in buildings and equipment and splits revenues with owner-operators. However, there are
conditions: owner-operators must manage restaurants themselves, and they cannot inherit or sell the restaurants. This is designed to ensure that only highly qualified people get to lead its operations. In addition, the selection process for owner-operators is rigorous, including several months of interviews and on-the-job performance evaluation at existing restaurants. The selection process is highly competitive: fewer than 1% of applicants are chosen. Keep in mind that Harvard University’s acceptance rate is roughly 3%.
· One important philosophy that Chick-fil-A adheres to is the “second mile service,” which comes from the Christian Bible: “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go two with him. (Matthew 5:41)” To Chick-fil-A employees, it means going beyond customers’ expectations. Chick-fil-A employees are instructed to perform intentional acts of kindness every day and are authorized to give free meals to customers who appear to be going through tough times or celebrating special
occasions.
· While other businesses deploy more chatbots to take orders from customers, Chick-fil-A has its employees walk up to customers waiting in drive-through lanes to take their orders.
· Some Chick-fil-A stores offer a 3-day workweek schedule where workers are split into two groups. Each group works for three days. Each day, employees work 13 to 14 hours. Since the business is closed on Sundays, employees know exactly which days they will work—they can plan their lives around their fixed work schedule. Each group has the same teammates. Over time, they learn to work well together. Under this schedule, more than 420 candidates applied for one job opening.
· Chick-fil-A is not listed on a stock market because it wants to preserve its culture and policies. If it went public, it would be forced to open on Sundays and would not be able to maintain its current level of generosity.
The remarkable story of Chick-fil-A teaches us that authenticity does pay off. We do not have to imitate other businesses. Being true to ourselves can be a winning strategy.

Bibliography:
· Culture and values. (n.d.). CFA Properties, Inc. https://www.chick-fil-a.com/careers/culture
· Jennings, L. (2024, June 25). Chick-fil-A’s top-ranking customer-satisfaction score might be slipping. Restaurant Business. https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/operations/chick-fil-top-ranking-customer-satisfaction-score-may-be-slipping
· Kelso, A. (2025, December 3). Chick-fil-A is transitioning licensed restaurants to owner/operator model. Nation’s Restaurant News. https://www.nrn.com/quick-service/chick-fil-a-is-transitioning-licensed-restaurants-to-owner-operator-model
· Klein, D. (2022, October 19). A Chick-fil-A Operator Finds Magic with Three-Day Workweek. QSR Magazine. https://www.qsrmagazine.com/exclusives/chick-fil-operator-finds-magic-three-day-workweek/
· Manko, B. A. (2022). Analyzing an unconventional success story Chick-fil-A fast food restaurants in the USA. Management, 20(1). 118-143.https://www.management-poland.com/pdf-157614-83786?filename=Analyzing%20an.pdf
· Parrish, A. M. V. (2023). Culture and values with a side of Chick-fil-A sauce: Discovering the secret behind Chick-fil-A’s organizational success [Doctoral Dissertation, William James College]. ProQuest. https://www.proquest.com/openview/54f3ef4418c25b0c8cc300f67d362385/1.pdf?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
· Reuter, D. (2024, April 11). How Chick-fil-A is so successful, selling nearly 5 times as much per restaurant as Taco Bell. Business Insider.https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chick-fil-a-makes-such-high-sales-drive-thru-2024-4#:~:text=Follow%20Dominick%20Reuter,alert%20straight%20to%20your%20inbox!&text=Chick%2Dfil%2DA%20dominated%20its,industry%2Dbest%20drive%2Dthru.