After poring over Technomic’s Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, earlier this month, Restaurant Business declared that Chick-fil-A has emerged as a big competitor in the competitive QSR space. Chick-fil-A’s domestic sales will likely jump those of Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Burger King this year and should surpass Subway next year to become the third-largest restaurant chain. The chain is just behind McDonald’s and Starbucks.
McDonald’s held the top spot in 2017 with U.S. system-wide sales of $37.6 billion, while Starbucks Corp. was No. 2 with $17.65 billion in U.S. sales, according to MarketWatch.com.
Kalinowski Equity Research also confirmed the likely takeover: “We have long pointed out that Chick-fil-A is the restaurant competition with which McDonald’s U.S. should most concern itself—and by extension, investors should, too. But this goes beyond McDonald’s.”
Kalinowski further pointed out that other chains should be worried, because Chick-fil-A has a lot of room to grow. According to MarketWatch.com, “as of March 2018 Chick-fil-A only had 11 restaurants in New York, a state with more than 19 million residents. Other states, including Massachusetts, Ohio and New Jersey, could also add locations, and market share at other chains’ expense.”
Which fast food chain is your favorite spot to grab a bite to eat?
By: Maytinee Kramer
