My dad is currently in the process of switching careers. After almost 25 years with Intel, Inc., he took an early retirement package and has been exploring, and very recently, applying, to be a franchise owner of Chick-fil-A in New Hampshire. One of his main reasons for choosing this company over so many others, is because of Chick-fil-A’s unique approach to selling.
Chick-Fil-A dominates the food industry, generating more revenue per restaurant than any other fast food chain in the US. According to businessinsider.com, average sales per restaurant in 2014 were $3.1 million. KFC only sold $960,000 per restaurant in 2014. To add to these staggering numbers, Chick-fil-A only has 1,950 restaurants in the US, none of which are open on Sundays. As a comparison, Taco Bell has almost 6,000 and KFC has more than 4,300.
What’s the secret to Chick-fil-A’s success? Aside from its incredible food, which customers constantly rave about, customer service is the number one aspect of this company that is consistently ranked high in restaurant reviews. Customer service is typically not an expected attribute of a fast food chain, however, Chick-fil-A prides itself on building a positive, friendly atmosphere for its customers.
When interviewed, Chick-fil-A execs say that they invest more than other fast food companies in heavily training their employees on high quality customer service to help them advance their careers, whether in fast food or elsewhere.
Customer service is the key component that spikes Chick-fil-A sales higher than all competitors – and the restaurant is even closed on Sundays! This is a prime example of a significant component of selling that needs to be noticed and applied by all other companies in the restaurant industry.
BoweryJE22
I do agree their customer service is what differentiates them from their competitors but I think another factor goes into the average sales per restaurant number. Since there is not as many restaurants, people from nearby towns will all come to one spot, opposed to a McDonald’s where every town now has one or two and they just go to the closest location. Chick-fil-A’s great service and product brings in that demand but also the lack of availability (supply) increases the demand. I think this is another aspect of their selling approach that helps make each location so successful.
I love the statistics you give in this! It’s so nice to have evidence of concept before you begin your explanation. It’s awesome how a company can take an often overlooked asset, like customer service, and turn it into a huge selling point. Great post!