ATLANTA, Georgia – Come end-2025, Chick-fil-A fans in Singapore will get to enjoy the brand’s trademark chicken sandwiches with a new spicy chilli sauce. It is the only country-exclusive food item on the American chain’s Singapore menu.

On the whole, however, the Singapore joint will honour the brand’s Southern American roots, so expect chicken breast instead of thigh meat. The company has been using this cut since founder Truett Cathy assembled his first chicken sandwich in the early 1960s. And do not visit on Sundays, as it will be closed.

In October 2024,

the fast food giant announced its US$75 million (S$96 million) plans

to invest in Singapore over the next 10 years. While work on the restaurant has started, it has yet to reveal the exact date of opening or its location.

The Straits Times travels to the brand’s birthplace in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States to learn more about its signature sandwich and plans for the region. Here are five things to know about Chick-fil-A, ahead of its arrival in Singapore. 

1. Menu of classic dishes 

Chick-fil-A Singapore is sticking to a tight menu of tried-and-tested favourites. That includes its chicken sandwich, comprising a boneless chicken breast, obtained fresh from Malaysia, and fried golden, two pickles placed side by side – “dating but not mating”, as one employee put it – and buttered buns. 

Its spicy chicken sandwich – available with bread and pickles or in deluxe form with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese – packs a stronger punch. And it may just give McDonald’s beloved McSpicy a run for its money. 

There is also a grilled chicken sandwich, with a smoky, lemon-herb marinated fillet, wedged between toasted multigrain buns, with lettuce and tomato. 

All these, along with the nuggets and waffle fries, can be dunked in any of its sauces: barbecue, garden herb ranch, honey mustard, sweet and spicy sriracha and, of course, its signature Chick-fil-A Sauce – a tangy and creamy concoction with smoky undertones. 

Chick-fil-A Singapore's menu will feature a Spicy Chili Sauce.

ST PHOTO: CHERIE LOK

A Spicy Chili Sauce will be added to the menu for the first time too. Garlicky and savoury, it is laced with a respectable amount of heat. 

Chick-fil-A will also serve salads. Pick between breaded nuggets and a grilled fillet for the Cobb Salad, set on a bed of mixed greens, corn kernels, shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, sliced hard-boiled egg and grape tomatoes. It pairs well with the Avocado Lime Ranch dressing. 

On the other end of the nutrition spectrum are its milkshakes – hand-spun and available in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or cookies and cream. Menu prices have yet to be finalised. 

While the company is open to exploring more locally inspired dishes at a later stage, the idea is to start with a core band of classics to familiarise Singaporean customers with its offerings. That means no breakfast menu or limited-time entrees for the time being. And while its products are free of pork and lard, it has no plans to obtain halal certification. 

“We are truly leading with who we are, fantastic chicken, fantastic waffle fries. And then from there, we will continue to learn what consumers want from us in the marketplace, and then think about what adapting looks like, or potentially even limited time flavours over a period of time,” says Mr Caleb Nicholson, 38, director of international field operations at Chick-fil-A. 

Despite Singaporeans’ partiality towards chicken thigh, local consumers seem to have taken to Chick-fil-A’s use of breast meat. During the brand’s three-day Singapore pop-up in June 2024, no one requested a different cut. 

“It’s not the same as what you think a chicken breast tastes like. The cooking process makes it incredibly delicious and tender and craveable,” he adds.

2. “Second mile” service 

The other pillar of Chick-fil-A’s philosophy is warm hospitality: servers who make eye contact, greet you with a smile, remember your name and your go-to order, and pre-empt your needs – be it a high chair for your toddler or a refill for your drink – before you voice them. 

Mr Nicholson paints a picture of how opening week could pan out the Chick-fil-A way: “When you arrive, let’s be honest, we know there’s probably going to be a line. How do we provide as much care as possible while you wait? And then when you get to the front, is the order experience clear? Is the team member kind and cheerful? Is the food safe, is it hot?”  

These considerations, he says, form the foundations of the company’s operational excellence. To whip team members – as employees are known within the company – into shape, a group of trainers from the US will fly to Singapore for a few weeks to offer guidance on brand standards, equipment operation and any other teething issues that might crop up. 

After that, it is up to Singaporean owner-operator Chyn Koh to set the tone for his team. He beat over 700 other applicants for the role, prevailing by virtue of his experience and attitude.  

“From Chyn’s career experience in quick-service restaurants in Singapore, we have a high level of confidence that he’ll be able to care for customers, ensure food safety and lead a large team with great culture,” says Ms Lauren Howard, 44, senior principal programme lead of international franchisee selection at Chick-fil-A. 

After being confirmed in April, he spent five weeks in the US familiarising himself with the brand and its operations. His training stint included three weeks of classes at the support centre in Atlanta, followed by two weeks in a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Chicago. 

According to Ms Howard, Mr Koh is keen to help his colleagues grow and develop – a resolve that aligns with the company’s ethos of caring, first and foremost, for its team members. 

“I think what’s critical here is the opportunity to grow. We want any team member who gets hired at a Chick-fil-A restaurant by that operator to be able to have a career at Chick-fil-A and maybe one day become an operator, if that’s what they choose. Or to use their Chick-fil-A employment as a way to strengthen their skills, to grow personally and professionally, and to launch them into whatever career they’re most excited for,” she says. 

3. Benefitting the local community 

While each operator can decide how exactly they want to live out their responsibility as a “beacon of light” in the wider community, Chick-fil-A has several philanthropic traditions it plans to import to Singapore. 

For instance, over 2,300 of its restaurants participate in the Shared Table programme, in which surplus food like biscuits and nuggets are donated to community organisations and transformed into new meals – chicken parmesan, stir-fries, breakfast casseroles and more – for those in need.

Chick-fil-A's restaurants often champion charitable causes.

ST PHOTO: CHERIE LOK

While it caught flak in the past for donating to groups perceived as being anti-LGBT, Chick-fil-A announced in 2019 that it would henceforth focus charitable efforts on three areas: education, homelessness and hunger. “Those will continue to be the pillars that we think about as we enter Singapore. Our food is a tremendous vehicle for caring for people,” says Mr Paul Trotti, 47, vice-president of international operations. 

In 2024, proceeds from the Singapore pop-up tickets, which came up to around $30,000, were donated to Community Chest, the philanthropic arm of the National Council of Social Service.

More details on Chick-fil-A Singapore’s charitable programmes will be announced at a later date. 

4. Closed on Sundays

For the last 80 years, Chick-fil-A has remained closed on Sundays – a tradition that started with Mr Cathy in 1946. His first restaurant, The Dwarf Grill (later renamed The Dwarf House), was a 24-hour diner, and he lived next door, so he could hop over to serve customers whenever needed.

The Dwarf House is modelled after Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy's first restaurant and features a statue of Mr Cathy.

ST PHOTO: CHERIE LOK

Sundays were his only days off. “It was not only about giving himself and his team a day off, but also, he chose to worship on Sundays. And so being able to provide that option to himself and his team members was something that he believed in. It’s a longstanding tradition of the brand today, providing a day of rest that people can use for what they choose,” says Mr Nicholson. 

As such, the Singapore restaurant will remain closed on Sundays too.

Chief executive Andrew T. Cathy told The Wall Street Journal in 2021 that the company makes up for it in sales from Mondays to Saturdays . The anticipation of getting Chick-fil-A first thing Monday morning after craving it on Sunday helps too, he added. 

5. First foray into Asia 

Chick-fil-A ventured across the ocean for the first time in 1996, opening a restaurant in Durban, South Africa, followed by a second spot in Johannesburg a year later. Both outlets closed by 2001 because it could not build enough brand awareness, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Nonetheless, Mr Trotti and his team remain undeterred. “We’ve always had a curiosity with exploration. And so I think a lot of the work that was done there in South Africa was to explore that and to understand what it would take to set up a supply chain internationally, and what it would take for the operator model to go international.” 

Though he was not involved in the South African expansion, he adds that those lessons may have proved foundational, and the company has kept them in mind as it sets its sights further afield. 

Chick-fil-A currently has more than 3,000 restaurants across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. It is also taking a second shot at breaking into Britain, where it has committed to opening five restaurants in two years. 

In Singapore, its fortunes lie partially in the hands of influencers, who Mr Trotti thinks can help boost brand awareness. “When we did the pop-up, we had the chance to interact with a lot of customers who had experienced Chick-fil-A through social media. And so that has really helped us in terms of awareness and familiarity with the brand globally.” 

The overwhelming response to the pop-up – the 600 tickets released via its online ticketing system sold out within 90 minutes – also gave the team the confidence to set up shop long-term in Singapore. 

Mr Nicholson says it showed that there was sufficient interest and demand. “We assume that we have great food, but you never quite know until you have a local consumer try it. And the reaction was so good. They loved the product. So, I think it builds your confidence that you can go in and say, ‘We can be who we are.’”

The writer was hosted by Chick-fil-A.

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