If the bullies seeking to punish people whose religious faith condemns same-sex marriage had their way, my preference for the food at Chick-fil-A would be "the love that dares snot speak its name."  Fortunately, when it comes to food, at least, Americans do not like being bullied.  As a result, the chain is set to rise by two ranks and become the number-three fast food chain in the country.

Grace Carr of the Daily Caller News Foundation reports:

Despite ongoing criticism from activists, fast food chain Chick-fil-A is projected to become the third-largest restaurant chain in the U.S., according to an analysis from Kalinowski Equity Research.

The fast food chicken chain will rise from its seventh-place spot to rank as the third-largest U.S. restaurant chain by 2018's close, according to the group's research, Business Insider reported.

"We have long pointed out that Chick-fil-A is the restaurant competitor with which McDonald's ... should most concern itself – and by extension, investors should, too," analyst Mark Kalinowski wrote in his report.

"But this goes beyond McDonald's," Kalinowski noted.

Photo credit: saalebaer.

Indeed, by what may be an even more important yardstick, per-store sales at Chick-fil-A already surpass those of McDonald's and every other chain by a huge margin.  According to QSR, an industry publication, Chick-fil-A's per store sales in 2015 were only slightly lower than $4 million, compared to $2.5 million for McDonald's.  No other chain comes within a million dollars per store of Chick-fil-A's phenomenal sales.

The closest unit of Chick-fil-A is about a half-hour's drive from my home, which means there are still some attractive growth opportunities ahead for the chain before it reaches anything like a saturation point, as I live in the midst of a huge metropolitan area.  In addition to the food, which is always good, the staff at the company are uniformly friendly and polite, a trait they share with In-N-Out Burger.  What is it about two hyphens in a fast food chain's name that works this magic?