{"id":1830710,"date":"2026-10-26T16:24:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T15:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/articles\/can-you-open-a-chick-fil-a-restaurant-us\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T15:06:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T14:06:17","slug":"can-you-open-a-chick-fil-a-restaurant-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/articles\/can-you-open-a-chick-fil-a-restaurant-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Open a Chick-fil-A Restaurant in the U.S. in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chick-fil-A reached roughly $23.9 billion<\/em> in U.S. systemwide sales in 2025 across 2,863<\/em> franchised and company-operated restaurants, with a median per-store sales figure of about $9.1 million<\/em>, per Fortune and QSR Magazine coverage of the brand’s 2026 FDD. The brand operates one of the most selective franchise programs in American food service. This guide explains how to open a Chick-fil-A, how the Operator model works, and which alternative chicken franchises in the U.S<\/a>. accept applications under more conventional terms.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is Chick-fil-A?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chick-fil-A is an Atlanta-based quick-service chicken restaurant chain founded in 1946 by S. Truett Cathy. The brand sells chicken sandwiches, nuggets, waffle fries, lemonade, and salads, and is the largest chicken-focused restaurant chain in the United States by systemwide sales. The company closes every restaurant on Sundays, a founding policy the current CEO has publicly affirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brand’s per-store productivity ranks among the highest in American quick-service: Fortune reported a 2025 median unit volume of approximately $9.1 million<\/strong> for freestanding, drive-thru-only restaurants open all year, with an average of about $9.16 million<\/strong>. U.S. systemwide sales grew roughly 5%<\/strong> year over year to $23.9 billion<\/strong>, with net openings of about 179<\/strong> restaurants in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Chick-fil-A<\/p>\n <\/a>\n

\u201cEat Mor Chikin\u201d\u00ae<\/p>\n <\/div>\n