While Chick-fil-A’s year-over-year sales growth wasn’t as robust as recent years, percentage wise, it continued to push unrivaled volumes at scale. In 2024, of the roughly 2,179 domestic franchised restaurants not located in malls (freestanding or drive-thru-only units), opened and operated for at least year a calendar year, the median annual sales volume was $9.227 million and the average annual sales volume $9.317 million, according to the brand’s FDD, which was released Wednesday.
More than 1,000 (1,061) of the pool, or 49 percent, generated $9.317 million or more. One store earned $19.319 million.
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About 33 percent posted annual sales volumes lower than $8.325 million; 33 percent between $8.32 million and $10.155 million; and about 34 percent reported annual sales volumes in excess of the $10.155 million figure.
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Chick-fil-A also shared data of four “delivery kitchens.” Those produced median annual sales volume of $3.049 million and average annual sales volume of $3.526 million. They ranged from $5.221 million to $2.786 million.
Mall locations came in at median annual sales volume of $3.387 million and average sales volume of $4.517 million. There was one mall Chick-fil-A in America last year that produced $18.918 million.
Chick-fil-A closed three domestic mall restaurants last year and 16 traditional ones. It also opened 132 to reach a total of 2,684 stores (55 company owned and 2,629 franchised). Chick-fil-A retracted by three corporate locations, year-over-year, while growing by 135 on the franchised side.
Chick-fil-A also added 13 licensed units to get to 425. As of December 31, there were about 3,109 domestic Chick-fil-A restaurants open and operating.
The total growth of 132 was down a bit from 2023’s 141, which was far higher than 2022’s 100.
As for the drive-thru AUV figures, here’s how those have tracked:
- 2020: $7.096 million
- 2021: $8.142 million
- 2022: $8.51 million
- 2023: $9.275 million
- 2024: $9.227 million
So it was a slight-year-over-year decline during a fast-food calendar where customers pulled back visits amid higher costs.
On the larger line, Chick-fil-A reached $9,062,620,436 in total revenue. That topped 2023’s $7,888,050,586 and 2022’s $6,373,786,108.
Total systemwide sales in 2024 clocked in at $22,746,105,000. This, too, represented a relative slowdown on a year-over-year percentage basis, compared to recent hikes.
- 2023: $21,585,752,000
- 2022: $18,814,024,000
- 2021: $16.674 billion
- 2020: $13.7 billion
- 2019: $12.2 billion
Nonetheless, Chick-fil-A is only one of three restaurant brands in America with U.S. systemwide sales north of $20 billion—McDonald’s and Starbucks are the others. And they, at year-end 2023, had 13,457 and 16,346 U.S. locations, respectively. Taco Bell is fourth ($15 billion at the start of 2024).
Chick-fil-A also mentioned on its FDD it was “actively exploring opportunities to continue franchised restaurant growth in these areas [U.S, Canada, and Puerto Rico] as well as expansion into other international locations in the future.”
The brand in January announced expansion into British Columbia (five to seven new stores by 2030), following news of a $1 billion plan from March 2023 to explore growth in Europe and Asia. Those efforts clarified in September (U.K.) and October (Asia) of 2024 with announcements to spend $100 million and $75 million, respectively, to fuel expansion in each.
Chick-fil-A projects to debut a record eight locations across Ontario and Alberta in 2025, making the most openings in the country in any year since Chick-fil-A entered Canada in 2019. It’s since brought 22 restaurants to market over five years.
Chick-fil-A’s Asia development will begin with Singapore in late 2025, the start of a 10-year, $75 million investment.
The brand in September announced it was kicking off U.K. expansion with stores in Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool, and London, which represented the first units outside of North America (joining the U.S., Puerto Rico, and growing Canadian fleet). The goal there being to open five licensed and locally owned and operated models across the U.K. in the first two years as a broader $100 million push over the coming decade.
