Big Changes Are Coming To Chick-Fil-A In 2025

Throughout the evolution of Chick-fil-A, we've seen the restaurant experiment with everything from new menu items to content streaming and robot delivery drivers. And if 2024 taught us anything, it's that Chick-fil-A almost always has a surprise or two up its sleeve.

Some are well-received, like Chick-fil-A bringing back fan-favorite menu items in the fall of 2024. Others, not so much. Some customers are still fuming over the company's November 2024 change to its waffle fries recipe (pea starch was added to make them crispier), with many swearing off the beloved side unless Chick-fil-A returns to the original version. The chain also reversed its policy on sourcing only antibiotic-free chicken, which some customers aren't happy about.

With 2025 already underway, Chick-fil-A has a lot on its plate this year, including menu tweaks, new restaurant locations, and a looming deadline for the company's corporate social responsibility goals. So listen up, Chick-fil-A fans — here are some of the upcoming changes to your favorite chicken chain.

Chick-fil-A's Grilled Spicy Deluxe Sandwich, which first appeared on the menu in 2021, was a huge hit, even sparking a Change.org petition to bring it back once the seasonal promotion ended. Fans were even talking about it online in late 2024, with one Reddit poster saying they were "praying every day" for its return. Well, it seems those prayers have been answered, as a January 2 press release announced that the Grilled Spicy Deluxe Sandwich and Key Lime seasonal drinks (first introduced in 2019) would be back starting January 7.

The sandwich pairs grilled chicken (marinated in peppers for a spicy kick) with Colby-Jack cheese, lettuce, and tomato on a multigrain bun. It also comes with a cilantro lime sauce packet on the side. The returning beverages include a Key Lime Lemonade (key lime mixed in with Chick-fil-A's famous in-house lemonade) and a frozen version made with the restaurant's Icedream dessert.

The company's announcement of this return doesn't specify a cutoff date for the seasonal items — it simply says they're available for a limited time. Customers can consult the Chick-fil-A app or their local restaurant to confirm availability. If the items are just as popular this time around, we can only hope that Chick-fil-A will consider adding them to the menu permanently.

We've previously discussed Chick-fil-A's plans to expand to Asia and Europe, and 2025 will mark the restaurant's first foray into the Asian market when it puts roots down in Singapore. According to a press release, the company has earmarked $75 million to invest in the city-state over the next 10 years. Chick-fil-A is also expanding its footprint in Canada and Puerto Rico, with two new locations in Ontario opening doors in January 2025 and plans to open at least 15 new locations in Puerto Rico by 2030.

Chick-fil-A hasn't given up on the Brits, either. Chick-fil-A will return to the U.K. despite its controversial 2019 pop-up, which LGBTQ+ groups and supporters protested. Chick-fil-A finally announced the locations of its first U.K. restaurants around the end of 2024, with Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool, and London selected for the company's U.K. launch starting in early 2025. The plan is to have five locations up and running within two years, and not only will each be locally owned, but the stores will also be stocked with locally sourced chicken.

As for Chick-fil-A's corporate social responsibility goals, 2025 is a milestone year. One company initiative is to donate excess food to organizations and nonprofits, with the goal for the year set at 200 million meals provided. The company also joined the U.S. Food Waste Pact in 2024. According to a press release, by September of that year, the chain provided more than 30 million meals via its Shared Table program, also helping it surpass another goal a year ahead of schedule: preventing 25 million pounds of restaurant food waste from ending up in landfills — it's diverted more than 38 million pounds thus far, according to Restaurant Business.

One way Chick-fil-A is continuing its mission is with financial donations. For each new restaurant opening, it usually donates $25,000 to nonprofits fighting food insecurity in the U.S. and Canada. It also incentivizes stores to participate in the Shared Table program by financially rewarding those with the biggest impacts. With massive expansion plans continuing in 2025, we can expect to see even more donations from Chick-fil-A and its franchisees. New restaurants are popping up all the time (eight new locations were announced in January alone, with each triggering a donation for local hunger relief), so all that money should pile up quickly throughout the year.

More changes in the pipeline could include additional locations using solar-powered microgrid systems, which help conserve energy. We may also see more stores selected to use technology like the ORCA digester system (which composts food scraps) to fight waste.