By Will Hall, Message Editor Airports in San Antonio, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, have rejected Chick-fil-A stores as did Rider University in New Jersey. But, despite these and other political attacks, Chick-fil-A, a faith-based company, is on pace to become the third largest restaurant chain in U.S. sales this year, leapfrogging from seventh place. A Kalinowski Equity Research report indicates Chick-fil-A sales were up 15.5 percent last year (about $10.4 billion) – a nearly $1 billion increase from 2017, when the chain experienced a sales jump of 14.2 percent. Chick-fil-A only has 2,100 stores, which are closed on Sundays, but its market strength is demonstrated by remarkable per store sales of $4.1 million each in 2017, beating Macdonald’s, Starbucks’s and Subway’s combined per store take of $4.0 million. Moreover, despite activists’ efforts to shut down the chain, Chick-fil-A has been named number one in food quality and customer service among fast-food eateries (limited service), but its scores best even the top dine-in restaurant, Texas Roadhouse (full service). Now, a 2019 survey of 8,000 teens, with an average age of 16.3 years, shows Chick-fil-A is the restaurant of choice among Generation Z, preferred … [Read more...]