Church's Chicken is now a billion dollar business and has committed to double its size within five years.
"This day is the biggest milestone in the history of Church's Chicken," said president and chief executive officer Harsha Agadi. "The billion dollar mark is the most significant milestone a global restaurant company can achieve."
The announcement was made March 9 at a company wide celebration. The $1 billion in global system sales milestone was achieved in the 52-week period ending Feb. 25, 2006.
With more than 1,500 restaurants worldwide, Church's Chicken has grown exponentially since the 1952 grand opening of its first location across the street from the Alamo in San Antonio. Initially intended to be a privately-owned local business in Texas, Church's Chicken moved into the publicly-traded, national market in 1969.
Financial milestones began at 1974's year-end when there were 487 Church's in 22 states with total revenue of more than $100 million. Five years later international expansion began, and the company subsequently established locations in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, and several other countries. The company was acquired by the Atlanta-based private equity firm Arcapita Inc. in 2004.
