Is CFA Supply an affiliate of Chick Fil A?
Chick_Fil_A Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
A that may change. Based upon the cost of ingredients to Chick-fil-A (including any freight charges paid to the producer) your cost will fluctuate.
Our affiliate CFA Supply is a distributor approved to carry food products, ingredients, and supplies for franchised, licensed, and company and affiliate owned Chick-fil-A Restaurants. CFA Supply may be the only approved primary distributor serving the geographic area in which it operates. CFA Supply began operations in July 2019. If your franchised Chick-fil-A Restaurant is in a location CFA Supply services, your cost for the food products, ingredients, and supplies depends on a pricing formula CFA Supply determines in the exercise of its sole and exclusive business judgment that includes, among other factors, a distribution fee and an allowance for fuel and freight costs from the CFA Supply warehouse to the Chick-fil-A Restaurants it will supply.
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.
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, CFA Supply is indeed an affiliate of Chick Fil A. CFA Supply is an approved distributor that carries food products, ingredients, and supplies for Chick Fil A restaurants, including franchised, licensed, and company-owned locations. CFA Supply may even be the only approved primary distributor in certain geographic areas. CFA Supply began operations in July 2019.
For a prospective franchisee, this means that if your Chick Fil A restaurant is located in an area serviced by CFA Supply, the cost of your food products, ingredients, and supplies will be determined by a pricing formula established by CFA Supply. This formula includes factors such as a distribution fee and allowances for fuel and freight costs from the CFA Supply warehouse to your restaurant.
Furthermore, certain officers of Chick Fil A own an interest in Chick Fil A and indirectly in its affiliates, CFA Supply and Bay Center. In 2024, CFA Supply received $1,996,943,030 from purchases made by Operators and Licensees in geographic areas it serviced which is included in Chick-fil-A's consolidated revenues. This arrangement ensures that Chick Fil A maintains control over the supply chain and product quality, but it also means franchisees are required to purchase from approved suppliers like CFA Supply, potentially limiting their ability to negotiate prices or choose alternative vendors.