Chick-fil-A wants to stay a family business even as it expands in the U.S. and abroad

Chick-fil-A generated $10.3 billion in revenue in 2025, up 14% from the prior year, while net income rose 1% to $1.05 billion, according to franchise disclosures. The chicken chain's roughly 3,000 locations produced $23.92 billion in system sales, making it the third-largest U.S. restaurant by sales behind McDonald's and Starbucks.

CEO Andrew Cathy, who succeeded his father Dan nearly five years ago, told CNBC that the chain has weathered industry headwinds better than rivals. "This has been a good year," Cathy said. "Our operators have done such a good job executing on the fundamentals and adding the hospitality to it." Competitors including McDonald's, Popeyes and KFC have reported disappointing results as consumers cut back on dining out.

Chick-fil-A opened 179 new restaurants last year and has expanded into international markets including Canada, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The company is pursuing a $1 billion international expansion plan and has launched Daybright, a beverage-focused restaurant concept created by its venture arm. Despite this growth, Cathy emphasized the company remains committed to staying private and avoiding an initial public offering.

"We're able to plan for the quarter century, and we don't have to plan for the quarter," Cathy said, citing advantages of remaining privately held as restaurant stocks have struggled broadly in 2025.

The chain plans to balance growth with tradition. Chick-fil-A will remain closed on Sundays and maintains a focus on human hospitality rather than technology. Unlike McDonald's, which is testing voice AI ordering, Cathy said Chick-fil-A will not pursue AI voice ordering in drive-thru lanes. "From our experience, we really want that hospitality to be human to human," he said. "We're not gonna substitute that interaction with technology, because we feel like that hospitality is so important to create that warm environment for consumers."

Chick-fil-A led fast-food chains in customer satisfaction for more than a decade according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, though Jersey Mike's topped the chain in the 2026 study while Chick-fil-A's score remained unchanged year over year.