Some trends come and go, but teens' love for Chick-fil-A endures
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
- Chick-fil-A is once again the most favorite restaurant brand for teens, according to Piper Sandler.
- The company has held the top spot in the semi-annual survey since 2018.
- Other trends have risen and fallen during that time, but teens continue to embrace the chicken chain.
The world is changing fast, but one thing seems to hold constant: kids love chicken.
In particular, teens really love Chick-fil-A — and they have for a long time.
The chicken chain is once again the most favorite restaurant brand for teens, according to the most recent Taking Stock With Teens survey from Piper Sandler, which is published semi-annually.
The survey covered more than 13,500 teens across 47 US states, with an average age of 15 and an average household income of $67,440.
The investment bank told Business Insider that Chick-fil-A has held the top spot in each report for seven straight years.
It's a notable winning streak because many of the teens in the 2018 survey are no longer teens. Some have likely finished college and entered the workforce, others may have gotten married or even had kids of their own — and yet, Chick-fil-A's popularity among newcomer teens endures.
Year after year, the brand consistently beats out its larger fast-food rival, McDonald's, in the Piper Sandler survey, though its burrito bowl-slinging alternative, Chipotle, seems to be gaining ground in recent reports.
Beyond food, other trends have come and gone during that time, including the apparent peak of Stanley Quencher mugs' popularity, while millennial mull favorites like Hollister and UGG are now on the rise.
Back in 2019, BI polled readers on their favorite fast-food chains, and Chick-fil-A snagged the top spot for best food, best customer service, and cleanest bathrooms. And the company hasn't rested on its laurels since then.
While its original chicken sandwich recipe remains untouched, the company has invested heavily in training top-notch staff and developing new tech to speed up its overflowing drive-thru lanes, as well as the occasional new menu offering to experiment.
That loyalty and efficiency translate to average stand-alone restaurant sales of more than $9 million per year, according to company documents.
By comparison, that's more than twice as much as an average McDonald's US restaurant makes, and Chipotle announced in October that it had reached the milestone of $3 million in average unit revenue.
Chick-fil-A is now aiming to parlay its American popularity into a global phenomenon as it expands into Canada, Asia, and Europe, including a $75 million expansion into Singapore.