---
title: "Teens Are Worried About the Economy, But That Won't Stop Them From Going to Chick-fil-A"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/97475630-f690-4be7-a846-030c2867e6a2
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/teens-are-worried-about-the-economy-but-that-wont-stop-them-from-going-to-chick-fil-a-2711233
category: "Chicken"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Chicken"
published: 2019-10-08T16:11:42.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:31:45.120Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/a03c6aef35265b327f46295008ff63955096.jpg
---

# Teens Are Worried About the Economy, But That Won't Stop Them From Going to Chick-fil-A

**TL;DR:** Teen spending has hit its lowest level since 2011, but food remains a top priority, with Chick-fil-A being the favorite chain among teens. Despite economic concerns, franchises like Chick-fil-A, Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonald's, and Dunkin' remain popular among teens.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-10-08. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/teens-are-worried-about-the-economy-but-that-wont-stop-them-from-going-to-chick-fil-a-2711233).*

## Story

**Market watchers and economists have speculated about an** **upcoming recession** **for months, and** **according to CNBC****, even teenager consumers are tightening up on spending. It’s probably safe to assume that the pocketbooks of many Gen Z consumers could be tied to their parents, but teen spending hit the lowest survey level since 2011 as reported by** **Piper Jaffray’s 38th biannual “Taking Stock with Teens” report****.**

**According to the survey, which gathered self-reported data from 9,500 U.S. teens, food continues to be the No. 1 priority in terms of wallet share at 23%—and at the top of that list is none other than Chick-fil-A. “The two most challenged categories were handbags and cosmetics as females reprioritize their spending with eating out and footwear/apparel,” said Erin Murphy, Piper Jaffray senior research analyst** **as reported by Yahoo Finance****.**

**In the 2018 survey,** **Chick-fil-a took down Starbucks** **as teens’ favorite chain by both upper- and average-income teens. In 2010, the franchise wasn't even among the top five, but has been making its way up the ranks ever since. In 2011, Starbucks displaced McDonald’s as the favorite brand for average-income teens, but its popularity has been steadily waning.**

**In the 2019 survey, Chipotle Mexican Grill came is the No. 3 spot in top restaurants, with McDonald’s coming in at No. 4 and Dunkin’ at No. 5.**

**In spite of economic woes, it looks like franchises—particularly QSRs—are holding strong in popularity, snagging four out of five of the top restaurant spots.**

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- McDonald's (company)
- Starbucks (company)
- Dunkin' Brands (company)
- Chick-fil-A (company)
- Gen Z (person)
- Chipotle Mexican Grill (company)
- Yahoo (company)
- recession concerns (topic)
- teen spending (topic)
- qsr popularity (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/teens-are-worried-about-the-economy-but-that-wont-stop-them-from-going-to-chick-fil-a-2711233). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/97475630-f690-4be7-a846-030c2867e6a2).