Raving fans have been a part of Chickfila’s marketing strategy since before such titles as “brand ambassador” or “brand influencer” existed. Steve Robinson, who served as Chick-fil-A’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, wrote a book about CFA’s marketing strategies, including what it means to build a base of “raving fans.” He told Forbes.com these die-hards “are crucial to the health of the business and help us grow. Our goal and strategy is to build special relationships with them.”
Are You a Chickfila Raving Fan?
Not sure if you’re a raving fan? Apparently, of the millions of people who eat waffle fries and chicken nuggets each week, raving fans constitute just 10 to 15 percent of its total audience. If you answer “yes” to the following questions, you may be a raving fan:
- Do you visit Chick-fil-A more than 4 times a month?
- Do you dress up like a cow to get free chicken?
- Are you usually one of the first in your friend group to try new menu items?
- Do you host a Chickfila fan podcast?
OK, so maybe Jim Mann and Alison Storm are the only ones who can answer “yes” to that last question, but there are a lot of raving fans out there! And we have featured several on the podcast over the past three seasons. Here are five of our favorite Chickfila Raving Fans:
Chickfila Raving Fan: Tim Abbott
Lynchburg, Virginia
Almost every time we have a guest on the show, we ask them this question—how many lifetime points do you have on the Chickfila app? Well, this guy’s answer blew us away. As of show time, Tim has 305,283 lifetime points on his Chickfila Rewards app. Tim says he’s eaten at Chickfila every day for 25 years except for five days when he left the country for a business trip. When his parents picked him up from the airport, they had Chickfila waiting for him! He also has a pretty expansive collection of Chickfila memorabilia which includes more than 100 plush CFA cows. Listen to our interview with Tim, Season 3 Episode 21!
Chickfila Raving Fan: Phred
San Diego, California
A California surfer is hoping to combine his two loves—catching waves and Chickfila. On Instagram he’s known as Surf-fil-A, but we call him Phred. Phred says in the water, no one loves Chickfila more than him. He’s been surfing for about 15 years, and his dream is to be sponsored by Chickfila. He’s even known to surf while wearing a cow mask. You can catch Phred on Season 3, Episode 17 of the podcast.
Chickfila Raving Fan: Ed Demers
Utah
Would you get a tattoo to win free food? Fast food chain Subway made headlines when they offered free sandwiches for life for those willing to get a footlong tattoo of the restaurant’s logo. So that got us wondering… would you do this for free Chickfila? Twenty-six percent of Americans have tattoos. Utah man Ed Demers has many tattoos, including one of the Chickfila chicken sandwich logo from the bag tattooed to the back of his hand. He says there is no other fast food restaurant he would consider honoring with a tattoo. Ed joined us for Season 3, Episode 13 of the podcast.
Chickfila Raving Fan: Megan Holmes
Southern California
On Season 2, Episode 7, we shared the story of how an epic Chick-fil-A bucket list landed one raving fan free Chickfila for a year! Megan Holmes used to be a diehard In-N-Out Burger fan, until 2014, when her mom took her to Chickfila for the first time. Then she became obsessed. She and her friend decided to create a Chickfila bucket list. When the operator of her favorite location caught wind, they said they’d give Megan and her friend free food for a year if they reached their goal. Not only did she achieve her goal, but it helped her land a job at Chickfila!
Chickfila Raving Fan: Ben Boyles
Bakersfield, California
How many consecutive days could you eat Chickfila? (Except Sundays, of course!) Digging back into the news archive, a few years ago, there were reports about a teenage boy in Atlanta who broke a record by eating at Chickfila more than 100 days in a row. That inspired Mark Mendenhall, known as the mayor of his Chickfila, to eat Chickfila 114 days in a row. Then in 2020, a Pennsylvania man saw that story and thought he could beat it. Matt Stoudt ended up with a 132-day chickfila streak. Ben Boyles saw that story and got inspired. Ben ate at Chickfila 153 days in a row, and he did it for charity! Meet Ben and learn about his mission by listening to Season 3, Episode 20.
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