Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy talks family ownership and growth

With restaurants as far away as Singapore, Chick-fil-A has expanded far beyond its southeastern home base in recent years, but CEO Andrew Cathy still wants the family-run business to stay true to its roots.

Nearly five years ago, Kathy succeeded her father, Dan, as CEO of the chicken chain founded by her grandfather, S. Tuyett. He took the reins as rising inflation rattled the restaurant industry and a new group of chicken rivals sought to challenge Chick-fil-A’s dominance. Not much has changed since then, except that traffic across the industry has stagnated as consumers have become more selective with their dietary choices.

Due to difficult circumstances, the result was disappointing. mcdonaldsPopeyes, KFC and other restaurant competitors. While Chick-fil-A isn’t immune to these headaches, Cathy told CNBC that the chain’s restaurants haven’t seen a similar downturn.

“It’s been a good year,” Atlanta-based Kathy said in downtown Manhattan ahead of an activity planned to raise awareness for the chain’s Shared Table Hunger Relief Program.

“Our operators have done a very good job on the basics and added hospitality to it,” he added.

As a private company, Chick-fil-A does not report quarterly financial results. But in 2025, the company’s revenue rose 14% to $10.3 billion, and its net income rose 1% to $1.05 billion, according to franchise disclosures. With nearly 3,000 locations, the system generated $23.92 billion in sales last year, making it the third-largest restaurant chain in the U.S. behind McDonald’s and McDonald’s. starbucks.

Chick-fil-A has no plans for an initial public offering or other outside investment opportunities. Cathy said the company intends to stick to “calculated” and “conservative” growth.

But he may be underestimating Chick-fil-A’s recent expansion. It opened 179 restaurants last year and has expanded into international markets such as Canada, Singapore and the UK in recent years.

There are also benefits to staying private, especially as restaurant stocks have generally been depressed this year. shares of jersey mike Dunkin’ owner Inspire Brands is reportedly unlikely to go public this year unless the sector’s performance improves.

“We can plan for a quarter of a century, but we don’t need to plan for a quarter of a century,” Cathy says.

During Kathy’s tenure thus far, Chick-fil-A has pursued bold ideas for future growth, including a $1 billion international expansion plan and a new beverage-focused restaurant concept, Daybright, created by the company’s venture arm.

But the company is trying to balance these new strategies with its existing traditions.

“I look at this business like driving a race car. There’s a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror,” Cathy said. “It’s important that our rear view is based on where we are. Some things remain the same: what we think about our purpose and mission, but everything else needs to be able to evolve and change.”

Some principles will never change, such as being closed on Sundays. Other menu items, including the restaurant’s signature Southern hospitality, will evolve as diners’ orders and eating habits change.

Cathy said Chick-fil-A is taking a “human-plus” approach to technology in its restaurants.

“We’re thinking about all these new things for the future, how people want to receive their food in the future,” he said. “Given drone delivery and everything else that could happen in the future, it’s an exciting time for our industry to think about all the possibilities of what we can do to provide a better experience for our guests.”

He said Chick-fil-A is exploring opportunities to leverage artificial intelligence behind the scenes, but unlike many of its industry rivals, its restaurants won’t pursue AI voice ordering in its drive-thru lanes. McDonald’s, for example, announced at its investor day in September that it plans to test its voice AI technology, Archy, to accept orders in both English and Spanish.

“From our experience, we really want that hospitality to be human-to-human,” Kathy said. “We don’t want to replace that interaction with technology, because we believe hospitality is very important in creating a warm environment for consumers.”

Other restaurants are also refocusing on hospitality, hoping the extra efforts of their employees will keep customers coming back. Starbucks purchased about 200,000 Sharpie markers so baristas can write friendly messages on customers’ coffee cups. Burger King has redefined the role of restaurant managers as “your-way champions” who greet customers and resolve failed orders. And starting Monday, McDonald’s will launch its “Make It Golden” training program for franchisees and employees focused on hospitality and food quality.

Chick-fil-A’s long-standing focus on service has made it the fast food leader in customer satisfaction for more than a decade, according to the annual U.S. Customer Satisfaction Index. That reputation also helps the chain stand out from other eateries as consumers become more selective about how they spend their money. jersey mike It recently beat Chick-fil-A in a 2026 study, but Chick-fil-A’s score remained the same as it did a year ago.

Another enduring element of Chick-fil-A is its famously simple menu. But the chain also cautiously expands its offerings, usually through seasonal offerings like chicken & waffles and honey pepper pimento chicken sandwiches. If a menu item is what Kathy calls a “home run,” Chick-fil-A may add it permanently, like the pineapple dragonfruit drink line.

“We’re very selective about what we want to do because we want to focus on unique Chick-fil-A items that are only available at Chick-fil-A,” Cathy said. “But we like to introduce new flavors and profiles, and that’s what we do with a lot of the seasonal products we carry. And we learn a lot from our customers about trying them out.”

Other fast food chains are also trying to move into Chick-fil-A’s territory. In 2019, Restaurant Brands International Popeyes sparked the “Chicken Sandwich Wars” by releasing their own version. Chick-fil-A remains the dominant chicken chain in the U.S., with about 43% market share in 2024, according to Barclays. However, thanks to the chicken sandwich, Popeyes gained about 11% market share and jumped to the number 2 spot.

McDonald’s is preparing to test hand-breaded chicken strips and sandwiches, potentially reigniting the battle.

But Kathy said she loves competition.

“We are grateful that there is competition in the chicken sector because it means we are in a good field,” Kathy said. “Competition only makes us better…What can we do to make that environment even more welcoming to our customers?”

Chick-fil-A is also innovating outside of its restaurants.

In 2017, the company established Red Wagon Ventures. It is named after the vehicle Tuyet used to sell Coca-Cola bottles in his first entrepreneurial venture at the age of six.

“The majority of our time and effort continues to go into making sure Chick-fil-A gets better, but we have a small team that is developing some of these new ideas and thinking about what might help us grow into the future,” Andrew Cathy said.

Some of these ventures are based in the restaurant industry. The experimental Little Blue Menu concept offered traditional Chick-fil-A menu items along with burgers, pizza, and onion rings. The chain plans to convert its final store into a traditional Chick-fil-A next year. Most recently, the subsidiary opened Daybrite, which serves coffee, smoothies, juices and donuts, but not chicken sandwiches or waffle fries.

Red Wagon Ventures’ other bet is even further away from Chick-fil-A. According to the company’s website, the company last year launched Acrew Home Professionals, a home repair and maintenance business that resonates with Chick-fil-A by promoting “service with a smile.”

“From a family business perspective, I think we need to build on our core competencies and work on other types of things so that we can continue to serve our customers in unique ways,” Kathy said.

Cathy, who studies family businesses, said that family businesses that have been around for over 100 years still need to think about innovation and look ahead. At 80 years old, Chick-fil-A still has a few decades left until it turns 80.

“My grandfather was an entrepreneurial person at heart. He passed away at age 93, and at 92 he started a new business of his own,” Kathy said of Tuyet’s Luau, a Hawaiian-themed restaurant concept that opened the same month Tuyet handed over the reins of the family business to his son.

In addition to launching its own brands, Red Wagon Ventures will also consider acquiring family-owned businesses, Kathy said. Chances are, those companies will be companies that don’t have a succession plan or are simply looking to sell. In other words, it’s very different from Chick-fil-A.