Non-sequitur. It's simple supply-and-demand. People want the Chick-Fil-A product; then Corporate needs to respond and streamline the process so more stores can be opened.
Chick-Fil-A is already known for quality anyway. They just overtook KFC as the #1 chicken restaurant.
“Chick-Fil-A is already known for quality anyway.”
And HQ wants to keep it that way, which is why the vetting process is so rigorous.
“People want the Chick-Fil-A product; then Corporate needs to respond and streamline the process so more stores can be opened.”
Rapid expansion potentially results in loss of control over the store experience as consistency of the brand proposition is not maintained between the store locations. In addition the corporate office becomes overly focused on rolling out locations instead of expanding the customer base and market share in and around existing stores.
The best customer is always one you already have who must be continuously nurtured to sustain loyalty and grow purchases. By rolling out the loyalty program, delivered through the phone app, Chick fil A is reinforcing its commitment to sustaining the relationship with its existing customers as it expands geographically in a disciplined manner that preserves the quality of its product.
Another privately held retailer going through the same disciplined expansion process is Publix supermarkets. They also recognize that quality growth, focused on the customer experience, is superior to expansion for the sake of expansion.
Too many fast growing retailers have hit the wall when they expanded locations too quickly and failed to maintain the quality of the customer experience. Look at Chico’s and Coach, both now with damaged brand franchises and attempting to turn around with new management teams. Add the GAP to that list of once powerful retail brands who lost focus on the consumer while rolling out stores and new brand concepts.
One of the advantages of being privately held is not having to give in to pressure from the investment community, or other outside influencers, to expand more rapidly than management can manage effectively. Hence the ongoing success of Chick fil A and Publix while other in demand brands have faltered by focusing on rapid geographic expansion while operations at existing locations, and product innovation, suffered. Kudos to management for understanding the critical success factors and having the discipline to understand its own limitations.