⚡ Get All Content for 20% Off ⚡

Chick-fil-A Finally Enters the Fast-Food Coffee Battle Watch out, Starbucks: Chick-fil-A is upping its breakfast game by putting a specialty-grade coffee on the menu.

By Kate Taylor

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Is there room for a chicken chain in the coffee competition? Chick-fil-A is about to find out.

Chick-fil-A is partnering with Thrive Farmers Coffee to offer specialty-grade coffee created specifically for the chicken chain, the company announced on Tuesday. The chain will also be serving cold-brewed iced coffee for the first time.

"Specialty coffee" refers to coffee that meets the standards of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). The SCAA emphasizes quality throughout the process of creating a cup of coffee, from the farmer to the roaster to the barista. According to Chick-fil-A, only the top 10 percent of coffees consumed worldwide meets the definition of specialty coffee.

Chick-fil-A has said that the new blend is intended to both compliment the breakfast menu and stand alone as a go-to "premium cup of coffee" throughout the day.

Related: Survey: McDonald's Has the Worst Burger in America

"We reflected on feedback from our customers who expressed that they wanted a better cup of coffee, and we found a partner who brought the added expertise we needed," said Chick-fil-A's vice president of product strategy and development, David Farmer, in a statement. "The true magic of this relationship is that not only does the coffee taste great, we also found a partner who shares our belief that business can be bigger than the bottom line."

Thrive's farmer-direct platform provides direct revenue to a network of family farmers in Central America. The model stabilizes prices paid to farmers and can boost farmers' pay up to 10 times more than traditional revenue models.

With the coffee upgrade, Chick-fil-A hopes to establish itself as a competitor in the coffee sphere, a move that echoes McDonald's recent McCafe push. Earlier this year, the burger chain announced that it hoped to boost its "coffee-driven visits," which would bring in customers both for breakfast and around the clock for a cup of coffee.

While McDonald's plan that hasn't yielded much in way of profits for the chain, Chick-fil-A seems to be following the burger chain's example in emphasizing "specialty coffee." By bringing quality coffee to the menu, Chick-fil-A has the chance to bring in more customers for breakfast, as well as establish itself as a "third space:" a Starbucks-coined phrase to describe a living space beyond the home and the office.

With new grilled chicken and a 108-restaurant expansion plan, Chick-fil-A has been making big changes in 2014. So far, the chicken chain has been on a roll, recently becoming No. 1 market shares in the fast-food chicken category. To pull off a breakfast boost when McDonald's couldn't would establish Chick-fil-A as not only competition for other chicken chains, but also someone all fast-food and fast-casual restaurants need to watch out for.

Related: Chick-fil-A Tries to Appeal to New Yorkers By Updating Image

Kate Taylor

Reporter

Kate Taylor is a reporter at Business Insider. She was previously a reporter at Entrepreneur. Get in touch with tips and feedback on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Business News

Costco CFO Reveals Uncertain Fate of $1.50 Hot Dog and Soda Combo

CFO Richard Galanti reveals that the price will stay the same — but only "for a while."

Business News

The Most Unexpectedly Popular Side Hustle of the Decade Has Low Startup Costs and High Markups

A new report shows that vending machines are a popular investment — and the industry is set to grow up to $3 billion by 2031.

Marketing

Ever Wonder Why Certain Websites Rank Higher Than Yours? This SEO Expert Reveals The Secret to Dominating Search Results

It's often the smart use of SEO, now supercharged with AI, particularly in keyword optimization.

Business News

AI Is Impacting Jobs. Here Are the Gigs Affected the Most, According to an Analysis of 5 Million Upwork Postings

The researcher said in the report that freelance jobs were analyzed first because that market will likely see AI's immediate impact.

Leadership

Former Interrogator Shares 5 Behaviors Liars Exhibit and How to Handle Them

Five deceptive behaviors to look for and how to respond to those behaviors when you encounter them.