How to Apply to Chick-fil-A (2026): Step-by-Step

Chick-fil-A's volume hiring is restaurant Team Member, Team Leader, manager and director roles, and almost none of it is done by Chick-fil-A, Inc. Most restaurants are franchised to independent Operators who make every hiring decision, set the minimum age and schedules, and review applications themselves. jobs.chick-fil-a.com is a locator: enter your location, pick a restaurant with openings, and the application goes to that restaurant. Corporate Support Center roles in Atlanta and the Leadership Development Program use separate sites. The most common mistake is contacting corporate about a restaurant application; the only place to learn its status is the restaurant itself.

Where the Chick-fil-A application lives

Official careers site: chick-fil-a.com/careers. Applications run on restaurant-level applications through jobs.chick-fil-a.com.

• Restaurant Team Member jobs — Enter a location to find restaurants with openings; each application goes to that restaurant's independent Operator.
• Corporate Support Center careers — Atlanta headquarters and other corporate roles on an iCIMS-hosted site that is entirely separate from restaurant hiring.
• Leadership Development Program — A 24-to-36-month traveling program with its own five-step selection process.

Step by step: applying to Chick-fil-A

1. Go to jobs.chick-fil-a.com and enter your city or zip code. The results list restaurants with openings near you rather than one company-wide job list.
2. Pick a restaurant and open its listing. Because each Operator hires independently, the application form and questions can differ from one restaurant to the next.
3. Complete the application for that restaurant, including your availability. Minimum age is set locally, so check the listing or ask the restaurant if you are under 16.
4. Wait for the restaurant to contact you. Chick-fil-A's FAQ says status checks go to the restaurant where you applied; find its number in the app or at chick-fil-a.com/locations.
5. Interviews are typically held at the restaurant with the Operator or a leader. Bring your availability in writing, since schedules are one of the main things a franchisee is hiring for.
6. For corporate roles, apply at careers.chick-fil-a.com. The Leadership Development Program runs five steps: a recorded video interview, a screening interview, a credit check, a comprehensive interview and a final interview.

Tips from Chick-fil-A applicants

• Apply to several nearby restaurants separately. Each is a different employer, so an application to one is not visible to the others.
• If a restaurant you want is not listed, Chick-fil-A's FAQ says you can contact it directly to ask whether it is hiring.
• Ask about the Remarkable Futures Scholarships at the interview. Chick-fil-A says it has invested more than $191 million in Team Member education since 1970.
• The Leadership Development Program requires 24 to 36 months of travel and either a bachelor's degree plus two years of experience or five years of leadership experience. Current employees apply through the internal portal.

How long the Chick-fil-A process takes

Chick-fil-A does not publish response times, and they vary by restaurant because each Operator manages hiring. Candidates typically describe hearing from the restaurant within days to a few weeks and an in-person interview there, while the corporate Leadership Development Program moves through five stages that include a recorded video interview and a credit check.

Before you hit submit

Two quick wins: check your resume against the posting with the resume keywords for your role, and attach a tailored letter — see the cover letter examples by role. Decide your answers to the standard screening questions once — see desired salary and work authorization — and keep a record in a tracker.

Apply faster

Chick-fil-A applications run on restaurant-level applications through jobs.chick-fil-a.com. JobRizzer focuses on the major ATS platforms (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby and more) and can still speed up the common fields on many forms — and you can prep fast with the free ATS Resume Checker and Cover Letter Generator.