Chick-fil-A wants to stay a family business even as it expands in the U.S. and abroad

With restaurants as far-flung as Singapore, Chick-fil-A has expanded far beyond its Southeastern stronghold in recent years, but CEO Andrew Cathy still wants the family-owned business to stay true to its roots.

Nearly five years ago, Cathy succeeded his father, Dan, as chief executive of the chicken chain his grandfather, S. Truett, founded. He took the reins as elevated inflation rocked the restaurant industry and a bevy of new chicken rivals looked to challenge Chick-fil-A's dominance. Since then, not much has changed — except for sluggish traffic across the industry as consumers have become more selective about their dining choices.

The challenging conditions have led to disappointing results for McDonald's, Popeyes, KFC and other restaurant competitors. While Chick-fil-A is not immune to these headaches, Cathy told CNBC that the chain's restaurants have not seen the same downturn.

"This has been a good year," the Atlanta-based Cathy said in downtown Manhattan before a planned activation to raise awareness for the chain's Shared Table hunger relief program.

"Our operators have done such a good job executing on the fundamentals and adding the hospitality to it," he added.

As a privately held business, Chick-fil-A does not report quarterly results. However, franchise disclosures reveal that the company's revenue in 2025 rose 14% to $10.3 billion, while its net income ticked up 1% to $1.05 billion. Its roughly 3,000 locations generated $23.92 billion in system sales last year, making it the third-largest U.S. restaurant by sales, trailing only McDonald's and Starbucks.

Chick-fil-A has no plans for an initial public offering or any other opportunities for outside investment. Cathy said the company plans to stick with its "calculated" and "conservative" growth.

But he may be underselling Chick-fil-A's recent expansion. It opened 179 restaurants last year and has launched in international markets like Canada, Singapore and the United Kingdom in recent years.

Staying private also has advantages, particularly as restaurant stocks have broadly struggled this year. Shares of Jersey Mike's have fallen nearly 28% since its initial public offering in July, while Dunkin' owner Inspire Brands is reportedly unlikely to go public this year unless the sector's performance improves.

"We're able to plan for the quarter century, and we don't have to plan for the quarter," Cathy said.

During Cathy's tenure so far, Chick-fil-A has pursued bold ideas for future growth, like a $1 billion international expansion plan and Daybright, a new beverage-focused restaurant concept created by its venture arm.

But the company is trying to balance those new strategies with its existing traditions.