One of the largest fast-food chains and the most profitable business in the US. Why is Chick-fil-A so successful?
Its success story started in 1946 when S. Truett Cathy opened Dwarf Grill (now the Dwarf House). And it was in 1986 the opening of the first stand-alone restaurant of Chick-Fil-A, then became a two-billion-dollar company in 2006.
Besides serving tasty food, the success of this popular fast food restaurant chain comes from their unique culture and values. The following are examples of Chick-fil-A’s uniqueness:
6 Uniqueness of Chick-fil-A
1. Cow Appreciation Day
The company celebrated the Cow Appreciation Day that falls every second Tuesday of July. It is the day that urges people to eat more chicken than beef – a day to appreciate cows.
And on that day, all patrons who come dressed as a cow will get free foods from Chick-fil-A, such as:
- Breakfast Entree
- Lunch Entree
- or Kid’s Meal
Get your cow’s costume ready if you want to join this annual event.
2. Antibiotic-Free Chicken
In December 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared its plans to ban antibiotics used in livestock. Studies show that these antibiotics added to the increase of harmful bacteria in humans.
In line with this, Chick-fil-A set a goal to serve chicken without antibiotics in all of its restaurants within five years starting in February 2014. This plan has been worked out until they announced in May 2019 that their chicken is served fully antibiotic-free.
Chick-fil-A made history in all chicken-serving chain restaurants. This company was the first to commit a service following the FDA’s No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) rule. Guaranteed, Chick-fil-A’s more than 2, 400 restaurants across the US are serving NAE chicken.
3. Sunday Closure
Another distinctive feature of Chick-fi-A is that their restaurants across the US are closed on Sundays. Why? Due to founder Truett Cathy‘s decision, which based on a day to worship God and a day for their employees to rest.
This well-known practice has been upheld until today. Even during big events, such as Super Bowls, their restaurants are still closed, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.
But still, you can enjoy Chick-fil-A even on a Sunday!
Although locations are closed during Sundays, you can still enjoy your food on Sundays. You can order reheatable trays with either chick-n-strips or pre-chilled nuggets that you can use at home.
This not only helps you to plan ahead, but it also helps you to avoid disappointments on Sundays when you are really craving Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwiches.
4. Unmatched Customer Experience
How do they maintain customer satisfaction? Chick-fil-A’s employees won’t just say “you are welcome” when you thank them for their services or for the served delicious meal. When you thank them, you will get back “it was my pleasure” as a response.
This superior customer service culture of Chick-fil-A was started by the founder himself, Truett Cathy after he noticed it being used by people working at a Ritz Carlton. It made him discover that a small difference in the words used when dealing with guests can have a positive difference as far as customer experience is concerned.
In 2017, an employee said on Reddit that the use of “my pleasure” is usually encouraged until it became part of how employees express themselves. Actually, it is part of their official training.
5. You Can Use As Much CHICK-FIL-A Sauce As You’d Like
Do you love Chick-fil-A sauce? Do you find it addictive? Or maybe you like Polynesian?
It does not matter which one you love. Sauce usage is not limited. You can buy a catering size tub at $2 and use it to save your sauce for later.
This means that you will not have to worry about running out of sauce.**The Brand Name Has a “Double Meaning”**You’ve probably never thought about the meaning of the name Chick-fil-A, especially if you grew up enjoying meals at this fast food restaurant.
The name of the restaurant has two hidden meanings. Chick-fil originated from “chicken fillet“, a food item that played a big role in making the restaurant famous. The A at the end means that the restaurant serves grade A (top quality) food. That is exactly what you get when you eat at Chick-fil-A.
6. You Can Ask for Special Orders
This fast food chain encourages customers to order off-menu or known as their secret menu apart from their amazing chicken sandwiches. Their cook and kitchen staff will specially prepare these fantastic food combinations.
Did you know that you can ask for Chick-fil-A special orders without feeling guilty? You can absolutely order it!
If you want to know what are the fans’ fave items in Chick-fil-A, check the list below. You should try them too!
- Spicy Char
- Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
- Grilled Cheese
- Cheese fries
- Spicy Chicken Biscuit
- Spicy Chicken
- Chicken Quesadilla
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Deluxe
- Root Beer Float
- Chocolate Cookies & Cream Milkshake
So if you want to choose your fave customization or a special request to satisfy your craving easier, use the Chick-fil-A app. Ordering through their app to speed things up.
Bonus read: “Chick-fil-A Franchise Fees: Everything You Need to Know“
