How Chick-fil-A took over America, explained in charts

Chick-fil-A is one of the most dominant brands in fast food in 2019.

The chain is the third largest in the US by sales, growing revenue by 16.7% in 2018 to reach nearly $10.5 billion, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Over the past decade, it has nearly tripled its annual sales.

Chick-fil-A managed to take over fast food with a fraction of the locations of other brands. And experts say it shows no sign of stopping.

"Can they double that? I think that is a very reasonable goal for them," Kalinowski Equity Research founder Mark Kalinowski told Business Insider of Chick-fil-A's sales growth in May.

Read more: The inside story of how Chick-fil-A used Christian values and a 'clone army' to build a booming business that's defying the retail apocalypse and taking over America

"I would be suprised if they didn't double that in the not-too-distant future," Kalinowski said. "Can they reach $30 billion? I think that's also a realistic goal if you give them enough time. And that should put them ahead of Starbucks."

Read on for six charts that reveal why Chick-fil-A is dominating fast food.

Last year, Chick-fil-A went from No. 7 to No. 3 on Nation's Restaurant News' list of the biggest chains in food by sales.

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It's an accomplishment made all the more impressive when you realize how many fewer locations Chick-fil-A has than fast-food rivals.

Yutong Yuan/Business Insider

Chick-fil-A manages to beat out competitors with way more locations because each location makes far more than rivals.

Yutong Yuan/Business Insider

And Chick-fil-A is only getting better at squeezing more money out of each individual restaurant.

Yutong Yuan/Business Insider

One reason Chick-fil-A's locations make so much money is that each operator typically runs only one location, so they tend to be more hands on. Prospective operators' wealth isn't taken into consideration, which helps attract a variety of applicants.

Yutong Yuan/Business Insider

It's clear that Chick-fil-A's system is working. Sales have skyrocketed in recent years and are showing no sign of slowing.

Yutong Yuan/Business Insider