Church's Texas Chicken and Texas Chicken Record Blockbuster Development Growth in 2023

Continuing its impressive growth trajectory in the U.S. and internationally, quick-service chicken restaurant chain Church's Texas Chicken and Texas Chicken recorded blockbuster development growth in 2023, a testament to the legendary brand's bold resurgence under a largely new executive leadership team.

"2023 was a monumental year for the Church's Texas Chicken and Texas Chicken brands as we significantly grew our footprint and development pipeline, while at the same time, refining our brand positioning and strategy, investing substantially in new capabilities and breaking unit-level sales records across the board," said Joe Guith, who was named CEO in August of 2022. "This progress is all the more impressive given the economic headwinds the entire industry has faced this past year."

In the U.S., Church's Texas Chicken continues to open restaurants in new markets, including Bremerton, Washington, Bryant, Arkansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma, with average unit volume (AUV) surpassing $1M across the system. It also posted a threefold increase in the number of domestic new deal signings compared to the previous year.

In addition to new openings, the brand will roll out a new compact footprint design this year. It is also further accelerating efforts to reimage existing restaurants under the successful Blaze concept, which features more contemporary and engaging design elements connected to the restaurant chain's Texas roots. Since the Blaze concept debuted in 2020, more than 100 restaurants have been reimaged leading to increased sales and traffic for the brand. Another 400 more remodels are planned for the next three years in the U.S.

Internationally, Church's Texas Chicken and Texas Chicken opened 70 new locations last year in 15 markets across Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Middle East, and Asia Pacific. With multiple new deals signed in 2023 in Asia, the Caribbean and Middle East, the brand is on track to grow its international footprint by more than 50 percent over the next five years.

Globally, Church's Texas Chicken and Texas Chicken have more than 1,500 locations in 23 countries and are poised to grow system sales from $1.4 billion to over $2 billion by 2028.

"As we look to 2024 and beyond, we are focused on building on this considerable momentum," Guith added. "From a development perspective, there is tremendous opportunity to open in new markets. With the additional investments we are making in people, technology, brand positioning and marketing, operations, real estate market planning and new prototype development, our compass is set and we are well-positioned to continue on this exciting transformation trajectory."