In the past, Chick-fil-A has referred to Asia as a “big-prize” target for potential development. It’s no great secret why. Research from Euromonitor a couple of years ago totaled Asia’s fast-food chicken sales at $33 billion. KFC held 39 percent of share and Jollibee Foods Corp. was next. Twenty-seven percent of KFC’s entire system sales in 2023 flowed out of China—a number that was up 20 percent for the year. “Asia” as a separate category provided 10 percent of system sales, a 17 percent year-over-year rise (the U.S. accounted for 15 percent and Europe, excluding the U.K., 11 percent, those two rose 2 and 17 percent, respectively).
There were 30,689 KFC locations at the end of Q2 2024, with 26,918 existing outside the U.S. There are reportedly about 10,000 in China.
As for Chick-fil-A, the brand in September announced it was kicking of U.K. expansion with stores in Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool, and London, which marked the first units outside of North America (there are restaurants in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada). The goal 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.
But the U.K. growth was just one corner of a $1 billion investment Chick-fil-A outlined in March 2023 when it shared ambitions to explore development in Europe and Asia by 2025.
That Asia part officially joined the picture Thursday.
Chick-fil-A announced plans to open its first restaurant in Singapore in late 2025, signaling the chain’s arrival into Asia. This will begin a 10-year, $75 million investment, the company said.
In June, Chick-fil-A (Asia) Pte Ltd hosted a pop-up event in Singapore to help introduce the brand to the community and glean feedback regarding regional preferences. More than 1,000 people tried the Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich at the three-day experience.
Through a suggested S$10 donation, attendees generated S$30,000 in donations for Community Chest, the philanthropy arm of National Council of Security Service.
“The profound love that Singaporeans have for food as well as the city’s strategic position as a gateway to the Asian market make it the ideal choice for Chick-fil-A’s first permanent restaurant in the region,” said Anita Costello, chief international officer at Chick-fil-A, Inc., in a statement. “We are grateful for the overwhelming support and positive response from Singaporeans so far and we look forward to serving them in 2025.”
Like its U.K. development, local owner-operators of Singapore Chick-fil-As will have the opportunity to be part of the company’s Shared Table food donation program, just as the U.S. units are. The food donation platform has created more than 30 million meals in the U.S. and Canada since it began in 2012.
Singapore will follow the same model of ownership as well. Most Chick-fil-A units are owned and operated by a single individual to ensure small business owners direct the store and aren’t passive investors. Owner-operators split profit with Chick-fil-A after paying fees. So the leader understands the community and works shoulder-to-shoulder with employees and guests. They’re responsible for day-to-day activities, from hiring and development to connecting with customers, cultivating relationships with local organizations, and tailoring philanthropic efforts on the store level.
Chick-fil-A (Asia) is currently accepting “expressions of interest” for people who are interested in becoming the first independent Chick-fil-A franchise Owner-Operator in Singapore. They can do so here.
“We are thrilled to introduce Chick-fil-A to Singapore, bringing new jobs and opportunities as we support the local community. Serving our Guests with high quality food and signature hospitality remains our top priority as we do so,” Hugh Park, head of Asia Pacific Operations at Chick-fil-A (Asia) Pte Ltd., said in a statement. “Our unique approach, with locally owned and operated restaurants, will also allow us to better connect with people in Singapore as we provide an authentic Chick-fil-A experience.”
Chick-fil-A ended 2023 as the third-highest sales brand in the industry despite being far smaller—unit count wise—than much of the top 10. Only McDonald’s ($53.1 billion on 13,457 restaurants) and Starbucks ($28.7 billion on 16,346 locations) earned more than Chick-fil-A ($21.59 billion on 2,552 stores) last year. And this was also being open six days a week.
The main culprit owed to AUVs. Chick-fil-A’s drive-thru locations averaged $9.275 million, up from $8.51 million the prior year and $8.142 million the year before that. The top store made $19.094 million in 2023, which was more than the average sales take of a Cheesecake Factory, Outback Steakhouse, and Cracker Barrel, combined.
As for broader sales, Chick-fil-A exited 2023 with total revenue and income of $7,888,050,586. A year ago, it was $6,373,786,108; and $5,764,153,899 in 2021. Chick-fil-A in 2022 approached the $19 billion mark in total systemwide sales as it closed with $18.815 billion (a sizable year-over-year jump from $16.674 billion the previous calendar). The brand soared past that milestone in 2023 to $21,585,752,000.
Chick-fil-A also sped up net unit growth to 141 stores. In the past two years, it was 100 and 102, respectively.