Chick-fil-A is branching out into the beverage space as the fast-food drink wars continue to heat up.
The chain confirmed to TODAY.com that it is testing a standalone beverage-focused concept called Daybright under its subsidiary company Red Wagon Ventures, LLC. It is scheduled to open in the Greater Atlanta area this fall.
The beverage-focused restaurant will feature specialty coffees, smoothies, cold-pressed juices and food. Its specific offerings are still shrouded in mystery, but we do know that no Chick-fil-A menu items will be served at Daybright, so you won’t be able to pair your snazzy coffee drink with waffle fries or a chicken wrap.
Red Wagon Ventures, which gets its name from the red wagon that Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy used in his very first business efforts selling Coca-Cola to his neighbors when he was 6 years old, was established to create new concepts and services beyond Chick-fil-A restaurants.
Chick-fil-A’s spinoff venture comes months after McDonald’s own beverage-focused concept, CosMc’s, shuttered after operating for less than two years. Still, the Golden Arches announced in July that it would test a lineup of dirty soda-inspired drinks lifted from CosMc’s menu at some of its own locations in two states.
Starbucks and its Refreshers have been leading the drink space for some time, but in an attempt to capture some of the attention from Gen Z, fast-food chains have been stepping up their customizable, nonalcoholic beverage game.