Whitney Tipton on May 8, 2019
Chick-fil-A is on track to become the nation’s third largest fast-food chain, behind McDonald’s and Starbucks.
The fast-food chain’s sales have tripled over the last 10 years and it reported $10.8 billion for 2018, according to food-service consultancy Technomic Inc., The Wall Street Journal reported.
The company has faced repeated boycotts and protests against expansion locations by political interests.
The protests stem from comments made by Dan Cathy, company president and son of the chain’s Christian conservative founder, Truett Cathy. Dan Cathy said in July 2012 that he supported the “biblical definition of the family unit” and opposed gay marriage, WSJ reported.
The Cathy family has been very public about their Christianity. Dan Cathy has held prayer groups at locations and professes to read the Bible daily, WSJ reported in 2012. All Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays so that “employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose,” the company’s website reads.
Dan Cathy’s remarks produced widespread criticism and boycott calls among the LGBTQ community, as well as from politicians. Opponents have thwarted expansion attempts in San Antonio and Buffalo, New York, as well as several college campuses.
The company reported sales of $4.6 billion for 2012, a 12% increase from 2011, HuffPost reported at the time.
Chick-fil-A also increased market share in the limited-service restaurant category to 33% in 2018, an increase from 18% in 2009. At the same time, Yum Brands Kentucky Fried Chicken’s chain sank to 15% from 29%, according to WSJ.
