When I was at university, I used to eat at Chick-fil-A all the time. The food is delicious, but I also liked the fact that their restaurants are always clean and they have friendly staff. So when they offered me the chance to invest in one of their franchises, I jumped at it. Now, as an entrepreneur in my own right living in California, I couldn’t be happier with my choice. This article talks about why investing in best chicken franchise has helped me live a better life in California.
1. How did I hear about Chick-fil-A?
I first heard about Chick-fil-A when I was in high school. I would drive past the restaurant on my way to and from school everyday. It was always busy, so I assumed that it was good. tried Chick-fil-A for the first time in 2013, when I was a freshman in college.I ordered at the drive thru window, and was really disappointed.
I didn’t think much of it, but I went home that day thinking, “If nothing else, at least I ordered undercooked chicken breast.” Things didn’t escalate from there. I didn’t exactly keep up with what was going on with the restaurant, and because it’s pretty standard for fast food places, I didn’t think much of it. Three years went by, and while the food was still okay, I was no longer a super fan of the place, and I stopped shopping there frequently.
Recently, however, things have drastically changed for the better. My college was close to a large city, and since I was for sports so much, I would drive up there about once a week for practice. I wasn’t going to school in the area anymore, but my friends and I would always wait in line for over an hour just to go into the stadium. We could purchase super cheap tickets online, and as soon as we walked inside, we would run for the concession stand. A sandwich there would cost anywhere between $5-$7, and we would run back out for seconds.
This is when I learned about Chick-fil-A. My friends thought it was pretty funny that I went to the local supermarket and bought something to eat when I drove by the street where the street carnival was. They would ask me, “What are you doing, you crazy freak?! You go looking for food when you could have been out at a carnival?!” Well, I wasn’t always crazy about how things were done in my past world. I realized that I had purchased some items that I would have been much better off buying nearby.
2. Why did I choose to invest in a chicken franchise?
Why did I choose to invest in a chicken franchise and not a different type of business? I chose to invest in a chicken franchise because it was a highly scalable business model, which means that I could open more stores and sell more chicken without having to invest heavily in each store.From a core model standpoint, a franchise is an automated business model; much like a self-checkout system, the business runs itself except that instead of you picking up your food from a cash register you use a card to pay at a self-service kiosk, then walk down the aisles to pick up your food. There are also many human resources like marketing, accounting, payroll, and other support costs that are not financial. For me, the ability to scale and expand as my business grows is a key driver to choosing a franchise over an SAB.
Chick-fil-A is the largest chicken chain in the US and the third largest in Canada. By the end of 2017, there will be approximately 1,800 Chick-fil-As in the United States, along with hundreds more franchises. The brand focused heavily on branding itself as a healthy fast-food chain that offered quality meals, but what most people don’t know is that many of the items on the menu could actually be purchased at a neighborhood store for much cheaper. The quality of birds, cooking methods, fresh vegetables, and other ingredients meeting the standards a fast-food chain is using in its restaurants, were also not available at the millions of independent food stores near me.
People increasingly got their nutrition from their mobile device, and instead of eating out, they ate in close proximity to others and it was easy to do so with less-expensive food. In other words, far from being healthy, fast foods were becoming the fast food option.
3. What benefits have I gained from investing in a chicken franchise?
For those of you thinking about getting into the franchise business or thinking about picking up a phone book to call franchise companies or start your own company, don’t live on the East or West Coast. You need to live in the Midwest, specifically the areas surrounding Kansas City and St. Louis.
Chick-fil-A has made a lot of money over the years thanks to its drive-thrus, its super convenience stores, and the fact you can eat for cheap in these stores which is really near lots of places to go to do fun things (not pay for them, or the ATM machine.)
I almost quit college to work at Chick-fil-A (in Kansas City) because, in college, the only interesting thing I heard was about Christmastime, and that definitely wasn’t from anyone talking about the company or their food. I like to read about that stuff, and I was really disappointed in their lack of focus.
One thing that you need to find out is that this isn’t “investing” in a business by buying every franchise you come across. These investments should be fun and things you want to do, as a complete beginner, so you have an advantage over the less patient or more experienced investors. Find out about the business, and have fun with it. Then do exactly what Chick-fil-A does, and invest for purpose, not just to create a profit.
I used to hate going to work most days, and spend my time playing video games with my friends, and none of that got to come out of my paychecks. I liked working at home, and didn’t like going to places that I didn’t like to go.
4. How has it helped me live a better life in California?
I’ve always tried to improve myself and become a better version of myself. I’ve always believed that you should never stop learning and striving to be the best version of yourself. I am a better version of myself today than I was before I moved to California. I have learned so much about myself and the world these past few months.Here are some of the lessons I have picked up on since my decision to invest in a franchise.
5. What advice would I give to others who are considering investing in a chicken franchise?
you’re thinking about investing in a chicken franchise, I’d say first consider whether or not you have the time, focus, and financial means to be successful. If you can answer yes to those three questions, then I’d say go for it. If you only have a couple hours or you don’t have the financial means or have any interest in real estate investing, then don’t do it. But if you can answer yes to all three and want to know more about a Chick-fil-A franchise investing model, let’s explore it together.