Chick-fil-A appoints new president | Restaurant Dive

Diving certificate:

• Chick-fil-A has named Susannah Frost, current executive vice president of restaurant development and field operations, as president, effective Oct. 1, according to a press release. published on Thursday.
• Chick-fil-A also announced the promotion of its chief human resources officer Cliff Robinson to chief operating officer, also effective October 1.
• The two will take over the positions vacated by Tim Tassopoulos, who retired as COO and President. End of 2023Frost will lead the company’s board of directors and “focus on providing strategic clarity and alignment to the core business so that Chick-fil-A can sustain healthy growth and maintain its market leadership,” the press release said.

Diving insight:

Andrew Truett Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A, said that after three years in his role, it was time to expand the fast-food giant’s leadership team. Before becoming CEOCathy was EVP of Operations, a similar role to the one Frost currently holds.

“The timing is right to expand our leadership capabilities with a president who will work closely with me and our executive committee to manage our national and international expansion,” said Cathy.

As CEO, Cathy will continue to be responsible for “the company’s overall strategic direction and culture.”

As EVP of Restaurant Development and Field Sales, Frost led the company’s real estate strategy and operations across over 3,000 restaurants.

As COO, Robinson will assume responsibility for restaurant development and field sales.

The chicken chain has been hugely successful in recent years, generating average net sales of $9.4 million in 2023 across its roughly 2,000 non-mall franchise units, according to its 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. Mall-based franchises and licensed units tend to have lower sales volumes than the standalone franchises. Still, the AUV for standalone restaurants is far higher than many industry competitors. For comparison, KFC generated average net sales of about $1.5 million across its domestic franchise units, according to its FDD.

Earlier this year, Chick-fil-A backed out of its commitment to antibiotic-free chickenas it became more difficult to obtain sufficient quantities of antibiotic-free poultry. The chain has also focused on expanding its supply network to Growth in the new restaurant area. Chick-fil-A plans to return to the United Kingdom in 2025 And then the company plans to expand into European and Asian markets by 2030, the press release states.