Dive Brief:

• Chick-fil-A named Susannah Frost, the company’s current executive vice president for restaurant development and field operations, as president effective Oct. 1, according to a press release issued Thursday.
• Chick-fil-A also announced the promotion of Cliff Robinson, its chief people officer, to chief operating officer, which will also take effect Oct. 1.
• The two are filling roles vacated by Tim Tassopoulos, who retired as COO and president in late 2023. Frost will lead the company’s executive committee and “focus on providing strategic clarity and alignment in the core business so that Chick-fil-A can sustain healthy growth and maintain market leadership,” according to the press release.

Dive Insight:

Andrew Truett Cathy, the CEO of Chick-fil-A, said that after three years in his role, it was time to expand the leadership team at the fast food giant. Before serving as CEO, Cathy was EVP of operations, a role similar to the one currently held by Frost. 

“The timing is right to expand our leadership capabilities to include a president who will work closely with me and our executive committee to steward our domestic and global expansion,” Cathy said.  

Cathy will continue to be responsible for “the overall strategic direction for the enterprise and culture,” as CEO. 

As EVP of restaurant development and field operations, Frost directed the company’s real estate strategy and operations at more than 3,000 restaurants. 

Robinson, as COO, will assume responsibility for the restaurant development and field operations roles. 

The chicken chain has been immensely successful in recent years, with an average unit volume of $9.4 million at its roughly 2,000 non-mall franchised units in 2023, according to its 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. Franchises located in malls, and licensed units, tend to have lower unit volumes than the standalone franchises. Still, the AUV for standalone restaurants is far higher than many industry competitors, with KFC, by comparison, seeing about $1.5 million in average net sales at its domestic franchised units, according to its FDD. 

Earlier this year, Chick-fil-A backtracked on its commitment to antibiotic-free chicken, as it became more difficult to procure sufficient quantities of antibiotic-free poultry. The chain has also focused on expanding its supply network to support new restaurant growth. Chick-fil-A is planning to return to the United Kingdom in 2025 and then to expand into European and Asian markets by 2030, according to the press release.