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Chick-fil-A made $23.9 billion despite shutting every Sunday. Its CEO says staff well-being matters more than sales
CEO Andrew Cathy says Chick-fil-A will continue closing on Sundays, despite estimates that the policy may cost the chain billions in sales.
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Chick-fil-A generated $23.9 billion in US sales in 2025 while keeping its restaurants closed every Sunday. The chain has maintained the policy for nearly 80 years, giving employees a guaranteed day off each week. CEO Andrew Cathy says the company will not change the practice, even if opening on Sundays could bring in more money.
In an interview with NBC's Today, Cathy said he had never calculated how much revenue the company could earn by opening on Sundays.
“I never have,” he said, explaining that the company had no plans to reconsider the policy because the day off was too important.
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Cathy, the grandson of founder S. Truett Cathy, became CEO in 2021, succeeding his father, Dan Cathy. He said being a privately held, family-owned business allowed Chick-fil-A to make decisions that benefited employees rather than focus only on maximising sales.
“We're not trying to scrape out every penny that we possibly can,” he said.
Why Chick-fil-A closes every Sunday
The tradition dates back to 1946, when S. Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia. Having previously worked in restaurants that operated seven days a week, he wanted to give himself and his employees a day to rest, spend time with family or attend religious services if they wished.
The company has occasionally made exceptions during emergencies. In 2017, Chick-fil-A opened on a Sunday to provide food to travellers stranded at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport during a power outage, as reported by Fortune.
How Chick-fil-A earns billions in six days
According to QSR Magazine's report on the company's 2025 financial figures, Chick-fil-A's US systemwide sales rose from $22.7 billion in 2024 to $23.9 billion in 2025, an increase of around 5%.
The company ended 2025 with 2,863 franchised and company-operated restaurants. This figure excludes more than 400 licensed outlets at locations such as hospitals and college campuses.
In 2019, analysts cited by Entrepreneur estimated that closing on Sundays cost the chain at least $1.2 billion in annual sales. However, opening for an extra day would not necessarily bring in the same proportion of additional revenue, as some customers might simply move their visits from other days.
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Why the Sunday closure is staying
Cathy said Chick-fil-A receives around 150,000 applications a year from people hoping to operate a franchise, while the company opens roughly 150 restaurants annually.
For now, the chain appears content to keep Sundays off the calendar. Despite its growing sales, Cathy says the company has no intention of giving up a policy that has been part of its identity since 1946.
