A national chicken chain that's closed on Sundays somehow manages to do better than a number of other fast food restaurants that operate seven days a week. Chick-fil-A is dominating the national sales charts, according to Business Insider, and its customer service is largely to thank.
Given the relative low number of franchises compared to its competitors such as McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Taco Bell — Chick-fil-A has a paltry 1,950 restaurants, compared with the 14,000 McDonald's has in the U.S. — this seems questionable, but the numbers don't lie. The chain's average sales per restaurant were upwards of $3 million in 2014, according to QSR Magazine. KFC, Chick-fil-A's chief fried chicken competitor, came in around $900,000.
The chain ranks high in customer satisfaction, per a Consumer Reports survey, and came out on top of the American Consumer Satisfaction Index in 2015. Chick-fil-A claims to set "the highest standards in customer service," with every franchise locally owned and operated. The company is also carrying out expansion plans in new markets like Michigan, New York, and Portland.
Other chains may take the lead from Chick-fil-A's aim to provide solid service. Popeyes, for one, has seen similar success in sales consistency, but it falls short on the customer service side. Already offering a well-received product, the chain hired a new VP of development in March to help boost service and take sales to a new level.
KFC likewise is taking up new campaigns to lure customers, including bringing back the ever-popular Colonel Sanders to attract millennials who increasingly fuel the fast food industry. These brands are players in a fast-casual restaurant game that appears poised to welcome an era of fried chicken dominance, and they're all trying to sniff out an advantage.