Chick-fil-A managed to grow its U.S. sales last year during a challenging time for the restaurant industry, though its pace of growth slowed.
The College Park-based chicken chain increased its system-wide sales 5.2% to nearly $24 billion in 2025, according to a newly-released franchise disclosure document.
That U.S. sales growth was down slightly from 5.4% in 2024 and below historical norms. For much of the past decade, even through the COVID-19 pandemic, Chick-fil-A saw double-digit growth, according to data from market research firm Technomic. Chick-fil-A declined to comment.
Still, Chick-fil-A outperforms most of the industry. In terms of sales, Chick-fil-A is the third largest fast-food chain in the U.S., according to QSR magazine. Chick-fil-A is behind only McDonald’s and Starbucks, but with far fewer locations and restaurants that are closed on Sunday.
“Chick-fil-A is one of just three restaurant chains that last year generated more than $20 billion in total sales,” Jonathan Maze, editor-in-chief of trade publication Restaurant Business, wrote in a Tuesday analysis. “At that size, it is simply much more difficult to generate the sales required to achieve double-digit growth.”
The restaurant industry is also under pressure as some customers cut back on visits amid inflation concerns.
The cost of dining out has increased faster than grocery prices over the last couple of years, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Co.
In metro Atlanta, the price of “food away from home” was up 6.4% in February over the prior year, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Grocery prices increased 2.3% over that time.
“The industry is suffering from a little bit of a traffic pullback as people guard their spending,” said Danny Klein, an editorial director for WTWH Media, which includes trade publications such as QSR and FSR magazines.
Recent data from Placer.ai shows Chick-fil-A saw traffic per location decline in October and November from the prior year. But the chain outpaced other quick-service restaurants during four of the six months the data tracked.
“I think they’re getting a lot of points for making you feel like you spent your money in a good way,” Klein said. “That really just comes down to how they operate their locations, the cleanliness, the expectations, and that’s why they outperform.”
Competition is heating up though. For example, chicken finger chain Raising Cane’s has rapidly expanded in metro Atlanta.
“Nearly all the major chicken players saw their sales growth decelerate in 2025,” including Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane’s, Popeyes and Wingstop, said Kevin Schimpf, senior director of industry research for Technomic. He said that’s “primarily due to increased competition in the category.”
The average sales volume at a freestanding Chick-fil-A was almost $9.2 million in 2025, down about 1.7% from 2024, according to franchise disclosure documents for both years.
Chick-fil-A has been a pioneer in maximizing the car traffic it can serve at each restaurant, with workers outside taking orders on iPads. The chain has also worked to increase drive-thru lanes — such as opening a McDonough location featuring four lanes, an elevated kitchen and food conveyer system. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2025 that Chick-fil-A even sends out traffic-analysis teams that use drones to analyze bottlenecks.
Yet, Klein said, at some point, “There’s only so much business a QSR box can do with the size. … So maybe $9 million is close to the apex. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
It’s worth noting that Chick-fil-A reported its highest-earning standalone restaurant saw $20 million in annual sales volume in 2025, according to the franchise disclosure document. The restaurant location was not named.
The chain’s mall locations average almost $4.6 million in annual sales volume, with the highest reaching $14.4 million in 2025.
Chick-fil-A added 178 net new restaurants in 2025 and now operates 3,287 locations in the U.S., a mix of franchised, company-owned and licensed restaurants.
Maze with Restaurant Business noted in an email that sometimes new locations can siphon customers from existing restaurants.
“Chick-fil-A, in many markets, is getting to a size that this may be happening,” he said.
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