A Chick-fil-A without chicken? Get ready, because it’s happening.
Don’t worry — the Georgia-based quick service chain isn’t exiting from its $22 billion chicken business. But its quietly confirmed spin-off restaurant concept, Daybright, places it amidst a growing field of national food service operations leaning into specialty drinks.
According to a report today in National Restaurant News, Chick-fil-A will open Daybright in the coming months in the Atlanta area with a menu that includes specialty coffees, smoothies and cold-pressed juices. There will be food, but it won’t include “signature Chick-fil-A items,” per the story.
The business is being run through subsidiary company Red Wagon Ventures, which was created specifically to explore expansion into alternative restaurant concepts: see Little Blue Menu, operating out of Chick-fil-A’s hometown of College Park, Ga.
But while its signature sweet tea may be the drink of choice for dedicated fans, Chick-fil-A is starting with a relatively blank slate when it comes to beverages.
- The ‘Daybright Coffee & Refreshments’ name promises that morning occasion drinks will be a significant focus.
- That category has become a growth driver in QSR thanks to fast-rising coffee vendors like Dutch Bros., Scooters, Blank Street, 7 Brew, Luckin and others.
More generally, consumers want caffeine and energy in all forms: Dunkin’, Pressed and others have responded with non-coffee iced ‘refreshers’ that work other times of day.
Daybright’s announcement aligns with broader trends in foodservice, where some of the industry’s largest operators have turned to beverages as a salve for declining food sales.
- McDonald’s is in the midst of incorporating learnings from its CosMc’s experiment into its beverage program.
- Taco Bell’s Live Mas cafes are expanding and KFC’s Saucy gets off the ground.
- Wendy’s also revamped its drinks menu last month with new coffee and energy drinks.
No wonder they’re jumping onboard: whether it’s burgers, fries or gorditas supreme, these guys know how to serve billions and billions. And with the OG Taco Bell Live Mas location selling an average of 300 specialty beverages a day, they might well be on their way.