Chick-fil-A is the First Restaurant Chain with 1 Million Facebook Fans

August 21st, 2009

By Matt Holliday

Popular quick-serve restaurant chain Chick-fil-A has something to cluck about on Facebook this week: it just joined Tiger Woods in the 1 million Facebook fans club, becoming the first restaurant to hit that mark. Chick-fil-A has amassed an almost cult following for its chicken sandwiches, and it’s that same sort of loyal following that has helped its Facebook Fan page hit this milestone.

Chick-fil-A has accomplished this despite a few handicaps compared to other QSR’s (quick-serve restaurants) like pizza delivery chains. One, the franchise does not have national distribution – the highest concentration of Chick-fil-A locations are in the southeastern United States. Second, the nature of the Chick-fil-A business and service is also slightly different, as they do not offer deliveries and only some of their locations offer online ordering. Finally, Chick-fil-A hasn’t done big Facebook promotional campaigns like Papa John’s, who recently jumpstarted its Facebook Page with 200,000 fans through a single engagement ad promotion

Chick-fil-A’s success has a lot to do with their brand loyalty, as well as its light-hearted contests like the current Cow Appreciation Day, which encourages fans to dress like a cow and send in their photos for a chance at prizes. The overall focus of the company has always been creating a superior product, and their Facebook success is a good indicator that building brand loyalty in the real world can translate into popularity in social networks, where future customers can be reached powerfully through viral communication channels.

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11 Responses to “Chick-fil-A is the First Restaurant Chain with 1 Million Facebook Fans”

Steve Cobb Says:
August 21st, 2009 at 9:00 am
Great article, but KFC also has over 1 million fans. I’d classify them as a quick-service restaurant too. In fact they have more fans than Chick-fil-A, although it’s an unofficial page with no content from the brand. But still very, if not more, impressive than a brand-owned page with active efforts to increase fan base via promotions and giveaways.
Jeff Malmad Says:
August 21st, 2009 at 6:24 pm
congrats chick-fil-a! now open a location in NYC pls.
Christopher Fuller Says:
August 24th, 2009 at 6:49 am
Hi, Chris with Pizza Hut here. Thanks for your story on companies and their fans on Facebook. But, you left us out of the story. In addition to KFC, Pizza Hut hit one million fans ahead of other restaurant companies, as well.
Pizza Hut Delivers Great Facebook Page, Tops 1 Million Fans Says:
August 24th, 2009 at 9:45 am
[...] serve restaurants are continuing to grow in popularity on Facebook. Last week, Chich-fil-A became the first restaurant chain to hit 1 million Facebook fans, but hot on its heels is Pizza Hut, who just crossed the 1 million fan [...]
MLDina Says:
August 24th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I love Chik-Fil-A’s marketing strategy. They’re doing a great job getting noticed, I just wish they were open on Sundays!
Social Media Stories of the Week: 8-28-09 Says:
August 28th, 2009 at 7:58 am
[...] Chick-fil-A is the First Restaurant Chain with 1 Million Facebook Fans: I can’t believe it, either. Never underestimate the value of a good Cow Appreciation Day Photo Contest. [...]
McDonald’s: More Than 1 Million Facebook Fans Served Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 1:18 pm
[...] Chick-a-Fil and Pizza Hut were the first quick-serve restaurants to gain at least 1 million fans on their Facebook pages, but top fast food burger chain McDonald’s has closed the gap. It hit nearly 1.2 million fans by the end of last week, after adding some 250,000 fans on August 26th, and 400,000 more on August 28th. [...]
Becoming A Social Business Is Your Next Big Challenge Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 9:19 am
[...] Chick-fil-A is the First Restaurant Chain with 1 Million Facebook Fans (insidefacebook.com) [...]
Becoming A Social Business Is Your Next Big Challenge | Easy Marketing Workshops Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
[...] Chick-fil-A is the First Restaurant Chain with 1 Million Facebook Fans (insidefacebook.com) [...]
The Nine Ways your Restaurant can use Facebook. « This is Your Dinner on Social Media Says:
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:43 am
[...] 6. Use your Facebook page as an extension of your brand identity. Chick-fil-A managed to transfer their loyal fans to their Facebook page almost seamlessly by extending the personality of their brand to online contests and interactions and become the first restaurant chain with 1 million Facebook fans. Article here. [...]
The Importance of Social Media « The BirdDog Perspective Says:
November 1st, 2009 at 8:57 pm
[...] the other hand, if your product is good and people trust you then great things can happen. Chic fil-A, Dell, and Zappos are all great examples of how proper use of social media can improve a business. [...]