Chick-fil-A will open three new restaurants in Alberta, Canada, this year, with plans for up to 20 restaurants in the province by 2030. The newest restaurants will open in Calgary and Edmonton and will be the first to open outside of Ontario since Chick-fil-A made its debut in Canada in 2019.
“Alberta has an incredible growth story and is an exciting place for us to continue our expansion in Canada. We can’t wait to offer new guests in the province an authentic Chick-fil-A experience,” Paul Trotti, vice president, International, said in a statement. "Each Chick-fil-A restaurant in Alberta will be led by an entrepreneur, an independent local Owner-Operator committed to creating jobs, developing leaders and making an impact in the communities they serve.”
This debut in Alberta is part of the company’s long-term investment in the country. In 2022, it announced plans to open seven to 10 restaurants per year in the market, including additional units in Ontario. There are currently 13 existing locations across Ontario.
These new openings also fit in with Chick-fil-A’s broader international development plans. Last year, the company announced a $1 billion initiative to expand its presence to five international markets by 2030. The company said it plans to open restaurants in Europe and Asia by 2026.
The company has tried to plant its flag in the European market before, most recently in London in 2019. An earlier attempt to grow was also made in South Africa from 1996 to 2001, but the brand didn’t generate enough awareness in that market, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Last year, Chick-fil-A executives told the Wall Street Journal that they expect their global restaurants to perform similarly to their approximately 3,000 U.S. locations. According to Technomic Ignite data, 2022 average unit volumes at the chain were nearly $7 million compared to the category average of $1.6 million. That same data shows that Canadian units averaged over $4 million in 2022, which is also well above the $1.8 million average in the market.
Canada is a growth target for several American chains of late, including Jimmy John’s, Jersey Mike’s, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Chipotle. According to a recent report from Circana, the market experienced 11% in visits last year and 18% in sales, with QSRs generating about 67% of all foodservice visits.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]