When did Bay Center begin operations for Chick Fil A?
Chick_Fil_A Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Our affiliate Bay Center produces Chick-fil-A branded lemon juice that is a proprietary principal ingredient used to produce proprietary Chick-fil-A branded lemonade. Bay Center is an approved supplier to supply lemon juice to Chick-fil-A Restaurants in geographic areas it operates. Bay Center may be the only approved supplier of lemon juice for the geographic area where it operates. Bay Center began operations in 2020. The lemon juice is purchased by Chick-fil-A's authorized distributor(s) from Bay Center and is shipped by Bay Center directly to Chick-fil-A's authorized distributor(s). The distributor(s) pays Bay Center for the proprietary lemon juice when the lemon juice is purchased by the distributor(s). The distributor(s) then sells the lemon juice to the Operators. If your franchised Chick-fil-A Restaurant is in a location Bay Center supplies, your cost for the lemon juice depends on a pricing formula Bay Center determines in the exercise of its sole and exclusive business judgment that includes a markup by Bay Center that may change. Based upon the cost of ingredients to Bay Center (including any freight charges) your cost will fluctuate.
Source: Item 8 — Restrictions on Sources of Products and Services (FDD pages 43–49)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Chick Fil A's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Bay Center, an affiliate that produces Chick-fil-A branded lemon juice, began operations in 2020. Bay Center is an approved supplier to supply lemon juice to Chick-fil-A Restaurants in geographic areas it operates and may be the only approved supplier of lemon juice for the geographic area where it operates.
The lemon juice is purchased by Chick-fil-A's authorized distributor(s) from Bay Center and is shipped by Bay Center directly to Chick-fil-A's authorized distributor(s). The distributor(s) pays Bay Center for the proprietary lemon juice when the lemon juice is purchased by the distributor(s), and then sells the lemon juice to the Operators.
If a Chick-fil-A restaurant is in a location that Bay Center supplies, the cost for the lemon juice depends on a pricing formula Bay Center determines in its business judgment, which includes a markup that may change. The cost will also fluctuate based upon the cost of ingredients to Bay Center, including any freight charges.