There were some summer rumblings of Chick-fil-A launching a streaming service. The idea being it would dive into the entertainment arena with family-friendly content. As it turns out, the truth isn’t all that removed, but the platform is where things changed.
Chick-fil-A shared on Monday it’s launching a new app—Chick-fil-A Play—that’s going to be “designed for parents and kids to share and experience together whether they’re enjoying a meal at home, in the drive-thru, or anywhere in between.”
The app is free to download (customers can pre-download now) and stocked with a variety of content and original entertainment.
Some features will include:
WATCH: Original Animated Shows—Enter Evergreen Hills and enjoy playful new adventures with the animated Chick-fil-A Cows—all intentionally designed in landscape format to be watched together, either cast to a TV or through a tablet.
LISTEN: Original Scripted Podcasts—Kid-friendly podcasts to use on the way to school, practice, and anywhere in-between.
PLAY: Games, Jokes, and Conversation Starters—Get the whole family talking—and laughing—together, whether at home or on the go.
CREATE: Video-Based Recipes and Kid-Friendly Crafts—Get creative with all the family with plenty of ways to experiment in the kitchen or through fun arts and crafts everyone can enjoy.
READ: E-books and Interactive Stories—Designed for easy, family-friendly entertainment anytime, anywhere.
QSR magazine caught up with Dustin Britt, executive director of brand strategy at Chick-fil-A, to chat about the inspiration behind the concept, what it will entail, and how it might still evolve to further engage and connect the brand with customers.
Tell us a little bit about the backstory, from Evergreen Hills and Christmas to the decision to broaden the content experience. How did the response from guests influence how this developed?
Guest response—and a desire for more family-friendly content—is what ultimately got us to where we are today. After launching a two-minute animated short in 2019—The Stories of Evergreen Hills—we were honestly a little surprised, and pleased, by the positive feedback we heard from our guests. The video series grew year after year, and it quickly became a holiday tradition they looked forward to watching with their families. Over the next few years, we continued expanding that content offering—with our animated Cow shorts and games—and seeking to understand what role we as a brand could play in the entertainment space.”
Take me through some of the content offerings and how they’re designed to help families connect.
The Chick-fil-A Play App is full of entertainment designed to be shared both within the App and in-person, meaning that families can enjoy and experience the content whether they are enjoying a meal, on the go, or anywhere in between. Every piece of content – from shows and podcasts, to audio and eBooks—is designed to be shared and experienced together, with a wide variety of offerings across five categories: Watch, Listen, Play, Create and Read.
For example, shows are viewed in landscape format and can be cast to a TV or tablet for families to watch together. Our video-based recipe series, Recipe Remix, is not just a cooking show, but an interactive series that families can follow along with and make together, in the kitchen. The App also includes games and crafts which are all created with co-playing in mind. Even our E-Books feature thought-starters and questions that encourage conversation.”
From a logistical standpoint, how did Chick-fil-A bring the Play App to life? And how did launching it as a separate platform fit the model more than, say, including it within the current app. How does it all come together from a user experience perspective?
We spent many years listening to our guests, taking learnings from each piece of content we created. As we started to explore where we could better serve our guests, we didn’t initially start with an App as a potential solution. We were simply looking at how we could create value for busy, on-the-go families and give them more ways to connect with each other, both inside and outside of our restaurants.
As we got further along in the development process, it led us to what we’ve been calling a “digital playground”—content and entertainment featured in an accessible way for families, encouraging quality time together. As we explored what this looked like, we knew we wanted to keep the Chick-fil-A App for its intended purpose—a means for guests to order and customize meals from our restaurants—while the Chick-fil-A Play App was intentionally developed to enjoy together without a purchasing component.
How is the platform designed to evolve over time? How will consumer feedback lead that effort?
We plan to expand and develop content based on the ways our guests respond to and engage with it when the App launches. We intentionally included a wide variety of formats, from the animated series and podcasts, to crafts, recipes, books, games and more, so that we’re able to see what resonates the most. That will help dictate both future content and topics.
More broadly, in what ways does this extension of the brand reflect the core values and hospitality-driven goals of Chick-fil-A’s original mission?
Quality and hospitality are at the forefront of everything we do, from our food and dine-in experience to our team members and drive-thru. We approached the Chick-fil-A Play App with the same intent, delivering a natural extension of our brand hospitality through content that is unique, high-quality, authentic and adds value to our guests’ lives in a meaningful way.
