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Many restaurant chains have been struggling the last couple of years, with even powerhouse companies like Starbucks and Papa Johns announcing closures throughout 2025. While certain varieties of restaurants have been hit harder than others — vegan eateries have been particularly plagued by bankruptcy — recent research shows business is slowing across the industry. According to findings by Black Box Intelligence, almost every month in 2025 saw a decline in customer traffic for restaurants that have been open for more than a year (via CNBC). Chick-Fil-A has been no exception to this sorry state of affairs: The company’s 2025 franchise disclosure document revealed its rate of sales growth throughout 2024 dwindled to the single digits for the first time since 2013 (via Restaurant Business). While that’s still better than sales not rising at all, that hasn’t stopped the chain from making an effort to counter the slump with a year-long campaign centered around blending nostalgia and modernity.
Chick-Fil-A was started by successful restaurateur S. Truett Cathy in 1967, and the brand has been owned privately by the family ever since. Ahead of its 80th anniversary, Chick-Fil-A is focusing on the concept of “Newstalgia” to bring together longtime loyal customers while potentially getting new diners in the door. Although retro packaging of its classic chicken sandwiches is a big part of it, the company is also shaking up other areas of the business with customer engagement moves, nostalgia-driven advertising, new menu items, and limited-edition merchandise.
Old-school designs and food are coming to Chick-Fil-A
There are a few main components to Chick-Fil-A’s new promotional campaign: First off, Chick-Fil-A is introducing Frosted Sodas and Floats to its menu in a direct response to customer feedback. As Khalilah Cooper, Chick-Fil-A’s Vice-President of Brand Strategy, Advertising, and Media, told Nation’s Restaurant News, “Customers have been requesting Frosted Sodas and Floats for a while, and it allows us to harken back to times before. We’re trying to meld that with being strategic on operational excellence.”
And the menu’s not the only thing changing: Much of Chick-Fil-A’s packaging received an old-school redesign, and the chain is also launching a run of limited-edition Classic Cups for $3.99 apiece. Starting January 5, 2026, Chick-Fil-A began selling the first of four cups with retro-inspired designs in select locations, encouraging fans to visit regularly this winter for a chance to collect them all. The cups come wrapped, so you won’t know which design you get until after it’s purchased. However, the chain will also be randomly distributing 3,000 copies of a fifth cup, dubbed the Golden Fan Cup, and those who unwrap one of those will win free Chick-Fil-A for a full year.
Other promotions are also slated to roll out later in 2026. Chick-Fil-A’s website is already hinting at the revival of Cow Appreciation Day, and a press release announced more limited-edition merch — including a new line of stuffed cow toys — is also on the way.
This is Chick-Fil-A’s biggest promotional campaign to date
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While this initiative may be the most expansive promotional campaign in the company’s history, nostalgia marketing itself is not a novel idea. Lots of major restaurants and retail companies have tapped into products, designs, packaging, fashion, and logos from the past to boost sales numbers. Even a fast food giant like McDonald’s found success by simply reviving its mascot, Grimace, for a brief period in 2023. According to business-to-business marketplace Design Rush, this kind of marketing, which evokes an emotional response from customers via familiar sensory cues from the past, can boost sales by as much as 23%.
All these changes could also make for an effective response to broader economic forces working against Chick-Fil-A. As consumers continue to fight widespread inflation and increasing restaurant prices, factors like discounts, deals, and unique experiences are playing further into their decisions regarding where to eat. Existing offers like Chick-Fil-A’s secret senior discount could potentially keep certain demographics coming in the door indefinitely. However, more drastic changes like the Newstalgia campaign’s new aesthetics and limited-edition products could help the company sidestep its customers’ economic anxieties by providing them something more than just good-value food when they’re deciding which restaurant to patronize for their next meal.
