Chick-fil-A’s Sauce Collection is a Simple, Color-Coded Branding Achievement

Brendan Menapace

In December, Chick-fil-A debuted its first line of apparel, becoming the latest in a long string of fast food restaurants including items like apparel and accessories as part of its branding. Chick-fil-A, however, has this sort of cult-like status that’s partially due to its exclusivity – it’s not open on Sundays.

Chick Fil A is back with another line of merchandise, this one pairing items like shirts, watches, shoes, and drinkware with one key aspect of its restaurant: its sauce selection.

Fast food fans love their sauces. People have their favorites. And some limited edition sauces have even been enough to create bedlam in places like McDonald’s.

The Chick-fil-A collection allows fans to “shop by sauce” with seven options, color-coded corresponding with the sauce’s packaging. There’s Sweet & Spicy Sriracha (green and white), Honey Mustard (yellow and white), Chick-fil-A Sauce (white and red), Zesty Buffalo (orange and white), Barbeque (red and white), Garden Herb Ranch (blue and white), and Polynesian (purple and white).

Each sauce’s shop includes a pair of shoes called “dipped kicks,” which uses a colored sole to look like a white sneaker has been “dipped” into the color. They also include a water bottle, an ombre-dyed crewneck sweatshirt, a “dipped” two-tone tote bag, a reversible bucket hat, a pocket T-shirt, a watch with color-corresponding watch band and hands in a branded case, an enamel pin, a pair of socks with the sauce’s name on the top, a pair of shoelaces with the sauce lid design used as a wrapper, and a trucker hat with the sauce’s name in bold font.

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This really captures a subtle but well-recognized part of Chick-fil-A’s brand, and uses it to create a really fun theme. Buyers can mix and match items from different “sauce” collections, like a Chick-fil-A sauce sweater with with Honey Mustard hat and Garden Herb Ranch shoes.

Aside from the fact that it’s all based on a packaging product, packaging actually plays a big role here, with items like the shoelace wrap and watch box as key parts of the branding for certain items.

And, while there are technically a lot of products, given that each of the individual collections have 11 products, it’s actually not going too far overboard in terms of offering. It’s not enough to overwhelm. There aren’t 15 apparel item choices or different sized bags, or different types of shoes. There’s no embarrassment of riches, but there’s plenty to choose from thanks to different color options.

“At Chick-fil-A, we love that our guests have such passion for sauces,” Chick-fil-A senior director of brand strategy Sara Storck said, according to WFLA. “We wanted to create a way for fans to celebrate their favorite sauce flavors in style – beyond the restaurant. With signature sauce color palettes, the new merchandise line offers all the sauce, without the spill – featuring everything from sauce drip t-shirts to accessories inspired by each flavor. Plus, guests have even more opportunities to enjoy their favorite sauce at home this spring with two new Bottled Sauce options coming to grocery and retail.”

As an added incentive to go into Chick-fil-A restaurants (on any day but Sunday), customers will be able to snag a limited edition keychain in stores only.

Much like its food, Chick-fil-A really nailed this promotion. It doesn’t reinvent any wheels, but it just executes a plan pretty much perfectly. The designs are timeless and clean, reminiscent of the Pantone color chip-themed products. It uses a variety of fun colors that each tie into a different piece of the restaurant’s overall vibe, and it’s available to purchase online seven days a week.

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