Analyzing an Unconventional Success Story Chick-fil-A Fast Food Restaurants in the USA

The U.S. fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, Inc. has prospered financially and scored multiple rankings at or near the top of its industry by using unconventional management practices, including some that appear to be drawbacks. This paper attempts what previous academic research has not: a thorough analysis of Chick-fil-A’s practices and policies, looking at how they might function as “success factors” and how the company has turned apparent disadvantages into advantages. The practices and policies include an unusual approach to franchising, a limited menu, private ownership, absence of global expansion, a distinctive focus on customer service and employee relations, and an explicitly Christian corporate culture. Chick-fil-A’s success, with a business model that does not fit the mold of other fast-food chains, makes the company a promising subject for further research by anyone wishing to study unconventional forms of differentiation for competitive advantage.