America’s favorite fast-food chain is preparing to expand to Asia and Europe
Lesson summary
Hi there, I’m Jeff and this is Plain English, where we help you upgrade your English with current events and trending topics. You’re learning English, so we also like to shed some light on the English-speaking world. And this is one of those episodes.
Coming up today—I’ll tell you about America’s number-three fast-food chain by revenue, but number one in terms of customer approval: it’s Chick-fil-A. And they’re going to expand to Asia and Europe soon. Chick-fil-A really is popular in the U.S., but it’s barely known outside the country. Today, you’ll learn all about it.
In the second half of the lesson, we’ll talk about the English expression “stay in your lane .” And we have a song of the week.
JR is the producer of Plain English. And he has uploaded this full lesson—number 567—to PlainEnglish.com/567. Let’s get going.
Chick-fil-A, darling of American fast-food customers, is expanding abroad
Chick-fil-A was founded in 1946 in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. It was called the Dwarf Grill—not a winning name. For years, it was just a single restaurant. In the early 1960s, the owners changed the name to Chick-fil-A. But still, for many years after, it was just a small, regional chain selling chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, and milkshakes. In the 1970s, there were just 100 stores.
When you think of American fast food, you think of McDonald’s. Behind that, you think Burger King, Pizza Hut, Dunkin’ Donuts, KFC, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s. Today , you’d have to also think about Starbucks—it’s the number-two fast-food restaurant chain by sales and number one by number of locations. In the late 2000s, Subway went from being a medium-sized chain to one of the industry heavy hitters.
But over the last decade , Chick-fil-A has propelled itself into the big leagues of American fast food. When measured by total sales, Chick-fil-A is the third-biggest fast-food chain in the United States. And it recently announced a $1 billion investment to expand to Europe and Asia—the specific countries have not yet been announced.
Let’s start with what it is. The menu is simple, focused on chicken sandwiches: grilled or fried, spicy or normal. There are chicken salads and chicken nuggets. On the side, you can get waffle fries and to drink, a milkshake. The breakfast menu is similar: it has chicken on a southern biscuit or English muffin, and just a few other options.
This is different from many other fast-food chains, which try to appeal to a broad audience with a little of everything. Chick-fil-A stays in its lane and focuses on chicken only. The company has benefitted from some tailwinds, too. In the last decade, American consumers have been eating more chicken and less beef.
The chain is also known for its customer service. A recent survey of customer satisfaction showed that most fast-food chains achieved about 75 percent approval from customers. Two chains stood out: McDonald’s was about 10 percent below the average, while Chick-fil-A was about ten percent above the average. It has been the highest-rated fast food chain every year of this customer satisfaction survey. Here’s one more nugget of information: Chick-fil-A is the most popular fast-food restaurant among teens in the U.S.
Chick-fil-A earned $16.7 billion in sales in 2021, behind only McDonald’s and Starbucks. Sales have grown by 15 percent per year over the last decade, compared to an industry average of just over three percent. That means it has moved its way up the rankings in total sales. In just a single year, 2019, Chick-fil-A passed Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Subway.
But it’s curious. Drive around the streets and highways of America, and you won’t see a lot of Chick-fil-A restaurants. While it may be third in total sales, it’s eighteenth in number of locations. It doesn’t blanket the country like Subway, Starbucks, or McDonald’s. There are 2,700 Chick-fil-A locations. Compare that to 15,000 Starbucks locations, 13,000 McDonald’s, and 7,000 Burger Kings.
But the key is, each Chick-fil-A store makes a lot more than competitors’ stores do. The average Chick-fil-A does over $8 million in sales each year, compared to under $3 million for the average McDonald’s.
That means people will go out of their way , and drive farther, to get to a Chick-fil-A than they will for other chains. The company has carefully managed store growth, purposely trying to make each store more profitable rather than opening too many locations. This has also helped with quality control, keeping the customer experience uniform.
But now the time has come for Chick-fil-A to spread its wings and open in international markets, according to a recent announcement from the company. KFC is extremely popular in Asia—and I’m telling you, Chick-fil-A is better than KFC. The company has KFC in its sights.
A few other things to know about Chick-fil-A. It’s a private company, closely held by a family. Most of the big fast-food chains are either public or owned by private equity firms. Being owned by a family lets the company do things its own way. In customer service, that has been good for the company’s prospects. In other ways, not so much.
For a long time, the company’s CEO made statements against gay marriage, saying it went against religious teachings. And the company’s foundation made donations to groups that were seen as hostile to gay rights. In fact, a Chick-fil-A location once opened in London, only to close just weeks later after strong protests.
Since then, the company has worked to repair its image. That CEO has been replaced and the company no longer makes donations to politically-oriented causes. But it still hangs onto one tradition from the founders’ religious beliefs: the chain is not open on Sundays.
Eat more chicken
Chick-fil-A is a favorite of ours here at Plain English. JR likes the chicken sandwiches and he especially likes the waffle fries. I am partial to the breakfast menu. They have a chicken biscuit for breakfast that is just absolutely yummy and delicious. Not every location is open for breakfast. But I am telling you—this is my favorite item on any fast-food menu, hands down, the Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit breakfast sandwich. If you ever have the chance to try it, take it. The coffee isn’t bad either.
Chick-fil-A is also known for its commercials. The commercials all feature cows, and the cows are telling you—in their own way—to eat more chicken. They’re clever because eating chicken is considered healthier for you—but a cow is the one telling you, and the cow obviously has a very personal interest in you not eating beef!
Great stories make learning English fun
