Dive Brief:
- Chick-fil-A plans to open a beverage-focused concept called Daybright under subsidiary Red Wagon Ventures in the Greater Atlanta area this fall, the company said in an email to Restaurant Dive.
- The concept will offer drinks like specialty coffees, smoothies and cold-press juice, but no Chick-fil-A menu items. Chick-fil-A said it will share more details on Daybright in the future.
- Chick-fil-a is the latest QSR to invest in a beverage-focused concept. Taco Bell is in the process of expanding its Live Mas Café to additional Taco Bell units, while McDonald’s is testing an expanded beverage menu after sunsetting drink-focused CosMc’s.
Dive Insight:
Daybright adds to Chick-fil-A’s lineup of alternative concepts. The chicken chain opened its second Little Blue Menu location in College Park, Maryland, in 2023. That restaurant offers Chick-fil-A items alongside an expanded menu including burgers, bone-in wings and boneless wings, as well as cold brew and boba drinks.
Although Daybright falls under Chick-fil-A’s Red Wagon subsidiary, it could become a testing ground for new beverage ideas that Chick-fil-A could add to its menu over time, similar to McDonald’s test of beverages inspired by the CosMc’s concept. There is no crossover with Chick-fil-A’s existing beverage lineup of lemonades, frosted lemonades, milkshakes and cold brew. Chick-fil-A also typically offers a beverage LTO depending on the season.
Red Wagon Ventures was created to allow Chick-fil-A to experiment beyond its existing restaurants and to test new ventures. The concept was named after the red wagon Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy used to sell Coca-Cola to his neighbors when he was six. The subsidiary was formed in 2017. Its past ventures include Kefi, a family club and play attraction, that closed in 2021 after roughly two years in operation.
