Chick-fil-A sets sights on Europe
Chick-fil-A yesterday announched it will be moving into two new markets. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company plans to move into European and Asian markets with the first locations opening by 2026.
The company will invest $1 billion over the next 6 years with plans to expand to three more international markets by 2030.
Chick-fil-A’s CEO, Andrew Cathy, said to the WSJ: “We feel like it’s time to continue to innovate and try and test how we will do in international markets so that we can learn.”
When looking at their US based sales, Chick-fil-A is the third largest fast-food restaurant in the United States behind that of fast-food giants, McDonald's and Starbucks. However, when based on profitability per location, Chick-fil-A takes first place.
With a franchise model and simple menu focused primarily on chicken sandwiches, waffle fries and milkshakes, the privately held company has consistently outperformed chicken based competitors like KFC and Popeyes in the US.
As far as the franchise model goes, Chick-fil-A plans to keep its current stipulations. The franchising process is very selective, and after going through extensive training, franchise owners are only permitted to run a single location.
In recent years the fast-food market in Europe has been growing with American fast-food brands due to an increased demand for quick and affordable meals; Popeyes, Shake Shack, Slim Chickens and Wendy’s to just name a few. However, KFC remains the top seller in the region.
In addition, the importance that Europeans place on a healthy diet has not stifled the ongoing fast-food market growth. Perhaps Chick-fil-A's focus on quality ingredients that contain no trans fats or antibiotics might be the winning ticket when taking on the European continent.
In the meantime, the company will hope their second attempt on European territory will be received better than its first. In 2020, Chick-fil-A's United Kingdom restaurants quickly closed due to protests from LGBTQ activists, making the chain's first trip to Europe a massive flop.
Chick-fil-A currently has 2,600 locations across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

read articles

Benelux Master Franchisee, Mad Vision Group, aims to open 10 new bubble tea stores this year.
Subway, one of the worlds largest brands, confirmed this week it is exploring a possible sale of the business.
War, politics and supply chain issues have led to the restaurant closures.
The fast-food giant cancelled Bosnia and Herzegovina's franchise licence after a string of scandals.
Odd Burger, one of the most famous vegan fast-food chains, today announced it signed a letter of intent with Franchise Investment AG and Angelpreneur AG.
most read

If you are thinking about purchasing a franchise or franchising your own company, these books are a great place to start.
Master franchising is used to accelerate business growth in a whole new region with minimum resource commitments.
The idea of tapping into new global markets is financially appealing to any ambitious business owner.
Thinking of franchising in the European Union? Find out exactly who regulates franchising in the world’s biggest single market.
A franchise package, otherwise known as a franchise license is at the heart of every franchise system. It contains the franchisors complete business concept from A to Z.