Notes From The Week #35

What’s good my people? I hope we’re all doing well. If there’s one thing to know about me—it’s that I love food! My metabolism isn’t what it once used to be where I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted and go straight to a football pitch and play for hours. Nowadays that’s definitely not the case. As a result I’m cutting back on the fast food and trying to maintain a diet that is helpful to my body. However, there are times when I make exceptions; which is pretty much anytime I’m stateside. When I’m stateside for the best part all bets are off and I’m heading to my closest Chick-Fil-A. Now that I’m back on the other side of the Atlantic I’m going through some with withdrawal symptoms. Which had me thinking what would a deep-dive into my favourite American fast-food joint look like. Let’s see shall we?

Chick-fil-A was founded in 1946 by S. Truett Cathy in Hapeville, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Cathy was an entrepreneur and a devout Southern Baptist who had a passion for cooking and serving people. He started out with a small diner called the Dwarf Grill, which served a limited menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes.

In 1961, Cathy created the first Chick-fil-A sandwich, which featured a boneless, pressure-cooked chicken breast served on a toasted bun with pickles. The sandwich was an instant hit and helped to establish Chick-fil-A as a leader in the fast food industry.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Chick-fil-A expanded rapidly, opening new locations throughout the Southeastern United States. Cathy also developed a strong corporate culture centred around family values, personal responsibility, and a commitment to serving others. Today, Chick-fil-A has over 2,600 locations in 47 states.

According to the 2021 QSR Magazine Drive-Thru Study, Chick-fil-A ranked as the third largest quick-service restaurant chain in the US, based on systemwide sales. This study measures the performance of fast food chains in terms of revenue and customer satisfaction, and Chick-fil-A consistently ranks highly in both categories.

In addition, Chick-fil-A has been ranked as the top fast food restaurant in the United States for customer satisfaction for several years in a row in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. This ranking is based on customer surveys that evaluate various aspects of the fast food experience, including food quality, service, and overall value.

Chick-fil-A is known for its exceptional customer service, which has helped the company to build a loyal customer base. There are several reasons why their customer service is so highly regarded:

1. Culture of service: Chick-fil-A has a strong culture of service that is ingrained in its employees from the start. The company places a high value on its employees and invests in their training and development to ensure that they can provide exceptional service to customers.

2. Consistency: Chick-fil-A is known for its consistency across all of its locations. Customers can expect the same level of service, quality of food, and overall experience no matter which Chick-fil-A they visit.

3. Attentiveness: Chick-fil-A employees are trained to be attentive to their customers' needs and to anticipate their needs before they even ask. This level of attentiveness helps to create a positive customer experience.

4. Speed: Chick-fil-A is known for its efficient service, with employees working quickly to take orders, prepare food, and deliver it to customers. This helps to minimize wait times and keep customers satisfied.

5. Going above and beyond: Chick-fil-A employees are often praised for going above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction. They may offer extra condiments, provide samples of new menu items, or even bring food out to customers' cars to make their experience more convenient.

Chick-fil-A has already established a strong brand reputation and a loyal customer base, but putting on my business strategy hat there are three things that the company could do to increase its market share even further:

1. Expand internationally: While Chick-fil-A has a significant presence in the United States, it has only recently started expanding internationally. The company could continue to focus on expanding into new markets around the world to increase its reach and market share.

2. Offer more plant-based options: As more consumers are looking for plant-based and vegetarian options, Chick-fil-A could consider expanding its menu to include more vegetarian and vegan options. This could help to attract new customers who are looking for healthier or more sustainable food choices.

3. Introduce new menu items: Chick-fil-A could continue to innovate and introduce new menu items to keep customers interested and engaged. This could include new flavours or limited-time offerings to create excitement and drive traffic to its restaurants.

Until next week. Peace.