Does every Chick Fil A restaurant require a refrigerated display case?
Chick_Fil_A Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Schedule 1 to Exhibit D to Lease
LIST OF EQUIPMENT
Beverage & Ice Cream
- Beverage dispensing system (drink towers, carbonators, and regulators)
- Beverage bag-in-box system & rack
- Coffee brewer(s)
- Tea brewer(s)
- Lemonade dispenser(s)
- Lemon juicer (not in all Restaurants)
- Ice cream machine(s)
- Refrigerated milkshake base dispenser
- Milkshare spinner (s)
- Water filtration system (not at all Restaurants)
- Bulk CO2 tank (not at all Restaurants)
- Water Booster Pump (not in all Restaurants)
- Reverse osmosis/softener water system (not in all Restaurants)
Cooking
- Clamshell Grill
- Open fryers
- Pressure fryers
- Radiant/Conveyor toaster (not in all Restaurants)
- Contact bun toaster
- Exhaust hoods (varying sizes)
- o Fire suppression system
- o Rooftop exhaust fan(s)
- Convection oven(s)
- Griddle(s) (not at all Restaurants)
- Hotplates (not at all Restaurants)
- Thermalizer (not at all Restaurants)
- Egg Station
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 103–600)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
Based on the 2025 Chick Fil A Franchise Disclosure Document, it is not explicitly stated that every Chick Fil A restaurant requires a refrigerated display case. However, Schedule 1 to Exhibit D lists equipment that is typically included in a Chick Fil A restaurant. This list includes a refrigerated milkshake base dispenser.
It is important to note that the presence of a refrigerated milkshake base dispenser on the list of equipment does not definitively mean that a refrigerated display case is required. The milkshake base dispenser itself may incorporate refrigeration. Additionally, the list also includes equipment that is 'not in all Restaurants' such as a lemon juicer, water filtration system, bulk CO2 tank, water booster pump, reverse osmosis/softener water system and radiant/conveyor toaster.
Prospective franchisees should confirm with Chick Fil A whether a separate refrigerated display case is a mandatory component of the restaurant setup, or if the refrigeration needs are met by other equipment. Understanding the specific equipment requirements is crucial for budgeting and planning the restaurant layout.