sandwich to be sold by the chain nationwide. The sandwich enjoyed an
“inexplicably
inescapable”
success
as the
“Tickle
Me Elmo of
sandwiches,”
61
and the sandwich sold out two weeks after its launch. A
“chicken
sandwich” war ensued on Twitter and
other social media.
62
September 2019
On September 6, 2019, Chick-fil-A opened its first franchisee-owned, full-service international location, in
Toronto, with plans to open at least 15 more restaurants in the Toronto area by 2024.
63
However, there was no
poutine (a local food staple) on the menu, a sign that Chick-fil-A was staying true to its successful and
standardised US formula and not seeking local adaptation when venturing abroad. At the same time,
McDonald’s
launched a
“Spicy
BBQ Chicken
Sandwich”
64
to compete
with Chick-fil-A in the United States.
October 2019
Two months after Popeyes’ “biggest product launch in the last 30 years,” the company’s highly sought
-
after spicy chicken sandwich was once again available in its stores.
65
This was a clear sign that Popeyes
was not given up easily; the chicken sandwich war was raging.
November 2019
The popularity of
Popeyes’
new spicy chicken sandwich turned tragic when a 28-year-old man was stabbed
to death in
Maryland after a fight over the restaurant’s new
offering.
66
Chick-fil-A continued its September 2019 Canada expansion with another international launch on the other
side of the Atlantic, in the UK, two months later.
67
This synchronised plan was not going as smoothly as
expected, something that the chain had experienced in the past.
INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION
Chick-fil-A had previously flirted with a couple of small, unsuccessful Canadian operations at the University
of Alberta in the 1990s and at Calgary International Airport in 2014, which offered a limited menu. Similar
limited-service restaurants had also operated in South Africa since 1996.
68
Chick-fil-A also unsuccessfully
tested the market in Lyon, France in 2015, in a bid to enter the European Union.
69
In late 2019, however,
Chick-fil-A launched a bold new international expansion, opening two large, full-service restaurants in
Toronto, Canada, and Reading, England, within a month of each other and announcing plans for an additional
15 Canadian stores. Chick-fil-A, known for its high-quality customer service, food quality, and innovative
franchise model, was hoping to extend these assets across borders in order to expand internationally.
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9B20M046
Chick-fil-
A’s Toronto
restaurant could
seat 70 people. Moreover, Canadian franchisee costs were only
CAD $15,000,
70
compared to CAD $100,000
–
$300,000 for many other franchises, and they created
“50
to
75 new jobs per location.”
71
This investment in the local community, using a unique business model, was a
way for Chick-fil-A to demonstrate its positive intentions and to gain acceptance outside the US.
Protests in Toronto
Tim Tassopoulos, Chick-fil-
A’s president and chief operat
ing officer, stated in an interview that Toronto
was the best city to kick off the
company’s
Canadian expansion:
“It’s
a global city. It has so many different
ethnic groups. Toronto really represents
the globe. We feel like it’s a great learning ground for us.”
