Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A (chik-fil-ay, a play on the US pronunciation of “fillet”) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Georgia, specializing in chicken sandwiches. Founded in 1946, it is associated with the Southern United States. Chick-fil-A has more than 1,850 restaurants, mainly in the southeastern United States, and is the top chicken fast food chain in the U.S.
The first Chick-fil-A opened in 1967, in the food court of the Greenbriar Mall, in a suburb of Atlanta. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the chain expanded by opening new franchises in suburban malls’ food courts. The first freestanding franchise was opened in 1986, and the company began to focus more on this type of franchise than on the food court type. Although it has expanded outward from its original geographic base, most new restaurants are located in Southern suburban areas. The chain has 32 drive-through-only locations. Chick-fil-A also can be found at universities, hospitals, and airports through licensing agreements.

Chick-fil-A retains ownership of each restaurant. Chick-fil-A selects the restaurant location and builds it. Chick-fil-A franchisees need only a $5,000 initial investment to become an operator. In 2010 Chick-fil-A took the industry lead in average sales per restaurant, making an average of $2.7 million per restaurant in 2010 (McDonald’s was second with $2.4 million per restaurant).