Atlanta-based Church's credited the company sales record for the 52 weeks ending Feb. 25 to the introduction last year of spicy bone-in chicken and the 99-cent spicy chicken sandwich.

"This day is the biggest milestone in the history of Church's Chicken," said Harsha Agadi, president and CEO. "We are on a strong growth path, and doubling the size of the company will be our next major goal. It will take us less than five years to hit the $2 billion mark."

Atlanta-based private equity firm Arcapita Inc. bought Church's from AFC Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: AFCE) for $390 million in December 2004. The day of the acquisition is viewed within the company as its "Independence Day," since the sales allowed Church's to revamp its menu and add spicy items. Arcapita has focused on improving Church's marketing, solidifying the franchise's image as an 'urban brand' and shifting to value-plus positioning.

At the end of February, Church's had 1,546 locations in 16 countries.
http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories ...