the Burger King Whopper,

and the Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich.

Each is a flagship sandwich

of their respective fast food chain.

This is what they looked like when we bought them.

No food stylist here.

The McDonald's and Burger King burgers

contained beef patties

and a variety of ingredients and toppings,

but Chick-fil-A's Chicken Sandwich

only has four ingredients

if you include the butter on the bun.

♪ Hey, Chick-fil-A today, Chick-fil-A ♪

- [Narrator] Simplicity and consistency

have been the cornerstones of Chick-fil-A's menu

for the past 50 years.

Simplicity, consistency, and chicken.

You can see it in their sandwiches.

Chick-fil-A's commitment to simplicity

throughout the business from its ingredients

to its franchise structure has helped the company expand

from a regional chain to a national brand

with about 2400 restaurants in 48 states.

Chick-fil-A's simple menu offerings

have fueled recent sales growth in store expansion

during a time when the restaurant

is looking to attract more national consumers.

The restaurant's approach runs counter to its competition

who regularly adds and swaps out menu items

to appeal to new customers.

Look at this chart.

Chick-fil-A made an average of 12 permanent

or limited time additions

to its menu annually in recent years.

Burger King has averaged 37 additions per year

and McDonald's has averaged 49.

Analysts say chains like McDonald's and Burger King

have good reason to add and swap out menu items.

New sandwiches can be an opportunity

to create buzz and capitalize on consumer taste trends,

but there are drawbacks.

A new item could cut into the sales of a menu staple

and reduce kitchen efficiency if it's difficult to prepare.

McDonald's dropped its line of signature-crafted burgers

this year because the prep time

led to longer waits at the drive-through.

Drive-through efficiency can be a casualty of larger menus

because consumers need more time to read them

and sort through the special offers.

More time ordering can decrease the number

of drive-through customers served per hour

and more items on the menu

can mean more opportunities for the staff

to get the order wrong.

Chick-fil-A received the highest marks

in drive-through performance

out of all major fast food chains

for customer service and order accuracy

according to a 2018 survey by SeeLevel HX.

The restaurant has dominated

the American Customer Satisfaction Index

since the Index began asking customers about the chain.

Here it is compared with other quick-service restaurants

like McDonald's, Burger King, and Starbucks.

Chick-fil-A attributes this in part to their business model,

which typically allows operators

to only run one restaurant apiece.

McDonald's franchise owners operate an average

of about six restaurants,

but Chick-fil-A's single-owner per restaurant

allows them to ensure

consistent food quality and operations.

Customers are happy eating Chick-fil-A,

but they're also happy eating chicken in general.

Over the past half century, America's taste for chicken

has grown while its taste for beef has dropped.

While still not as popular as burgers,

the sale of breaded-chicken sandwiches

has increased over the past decade

while beef burger sales have dropped slightly

as American diners look for alternatives to red meat.

How much Chick-fil-A can capitalize on this consumer trend

towards chicken remains to be seen.

It has increased its market share

amongst its chicken-focused competitors

over the past decade and is poised to become

the third-biggest U.S. restaurant chain by sales,

trailing only McDonald's and Starbucks.

Its expansion outside of its core market in the South

will test whether Chick-fil-A can continue to grow

off its lean menu and whether its simple chicken sandwich

can attract more customers who think it's more

than just the sum of its parts.

(pleasant mallet percussion music)

McDonald's said in a statement that,

"Menu changes allow restaurants to offer

"the most popular items while also giving local markets

"the ability to add more local tastes at the speed

"and convenience our customers expect."

(pleasant mallet percussion music)