Chick-fil-A wants to stay a family business even as it expands in the U.S. and abroad — SkimNews
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- Chick-fil-A posted 2025 revenue of $10.3 billion (up 14%) and net income of $1.05 billion (up 1%) across roughly 3,000 locations generating $23.92 billion in system sales, making it the third-largest U.S. restaurant by sales behind McDonald's and Starbucks
- Andrew Cathy, who succeeded his father Dan as CEO nearly five years ago, said the privately held company has no plans for an IPO and will stick with "calculated" and "conservative" growth, contrasting with Jersey Mike's (shares down nearly 28% since its July IPO) and Inspire Brands' reportedly stalled public plans
- Chick-fil-A opened 179 restaurants last year and has launched in Canada, Singapore, and the United Kingdom as part of a $1 billion international expansion plan
- Chick-fil-A will not deploy AI voice ordering in its drive-thru lanes, with Cathy citing the importance of "human to human" hospitality, while rival McDonald's prepares to test its Archy voice AI in English and Spanish
- Chick-fil-A holds roughly 43% of the U.S. chicken market as of 2024 per Barclays, with Popeyes at about 11%, even as McDonald's prepares to test hand-breaded chicken strips and sandwiches
- Red Wagon Ventures, the company's innovation arm, launched Daybright (a beverage-focused concept) and Acrew Home Professionals (a home repair service), and will convert the final Little Blue Menu test location into a traditional Chick-fil-A next year
- Chick-fil-A led the American Customer Satisfaction Index for fast food for over a decade, though Jersey Mike's toppled it in the 2026 study while Chick-fil-A's score held flat year-over-year
Why it matters: Chick-fil-A's ability to grow system sales to $23.92 billion while sidestepping the public-market pressures crushing rivals like Jersey Mike's and Inspire Brands lets it plan in "quarter century" increments — a structural edge that matters as Cathy doubles down on family ownership, holds 43% chicken share per Barclays, and now exports the brand to Singapore, Canada, and the U.K.
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