Chick-fil-A Reports Nearly $24 Billion in Sales; Entrée Recipe Remains Secret
Restaurant chain Chick-fil-A reported nearly $24 billion in sales last year, its best-selling entrée remaining a closely guarded secret. The company claims the original recipe is secured in a safe.
US-based restaurant chain Chick-fil-A announced nearly $24 billion in sales for the past year, solidifying its position as the third-largest restaurant chain in the country behind McDonald's and Starbucks. A significant driver of this success is the Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, the company's top-selling entrée.
While Chick-fil-A has disclosed that the sandwich includes two buns, two pickles, and that the chicken is cooked in 100 percent refined peanut oil, the full recipe remains a closely guarded secret. The company states that the recipe has remained unchanged since its creation over six decades ago.
According to the company, the original recipe is stored in a safe at the Chick-fil-A corporate Support Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Details regarding who holds the combination to this safe have not been revealed.
The recipe's origin traces back to the early 1960s when founder Truett Cathy operated The Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia. A local poultry supplier offered Cathy extra boneless, skinless chicken breasts that did not meet airline meal tray size requirements. Cathy experimented with seasonings and sought customer feedback until he developed the recipe that customers urged him to keep the same.
Although Chick-fil-A has not disclosed the exact recipe, numerous theories circulate online. One popular speculation suggests the chicken is soaked in pickle juice. Accounts from former employees indicate a different preparation step: a wash of milk and egg, possessing a slightly sweet aroma, is applied to the raw chicken breast before it is coated in a proprietary blend of seasoned flour. Chick-fil-A has not confirmed or denied these claims.