Church’s Chicken Appoints New VP of Supply Chain to Strengthen Global Operations

Recommendation: in this changing market, standardize small-vendor onboarding and implement a single orders-to-delivery process that covers centers across markets; this would realize realized efficiency gains and reduce friction between vendors and managers. As an example, pilot with 12 suppliers in 3 centers to prove value within 60 days.

With the recently named VP of worldwide logistics, the team will harmonize execution across seven regional markets, twenty-five managers, and sixty vendors. The target is to cut the order-to-delivery cycle by 18-22% by year-end, while elevating quality standards that apply to both routine replenishment and promotional orders across all centers.

Key changes in processes include centralized vendor onboarding, a single data hub at the heart of each center, and standardized purchase orders. This framework would cover routine replenishment and promotional campaigns, and would require government reporting alignment for compliance across markets. The approach emphasizes doing the work correctly at the points where decisions are made, where needed.

Between markets, a cross-functional governance group of managers, procurement leads, and store operators would monitor metrics on time-to-delivery, on-shelf availability, and vendor performance. This system would cover orders from all vendors, including small suppliers, and would support market responsiveness to changing demand. It would also enable promotional planning with a transparent, government-compliant business review cycle, where this team would use real-time dashboards. The plan would drive improvements in customer experience and protect quality across markets.

Church’s Chicken: A Practical Plan to Strengthen Global Supply Chain

Recommendation: deploy a centralized source of supplier data, qsrs metrics, and product specs with a single secure dashboard; ensure government compliance and align with the organization’s year plan; use linkedin to verify credibility and track years of performance; later, automate order triggers to minimize manual steps.

Adapting the network involves establishing regional centers in the west and other key markets; use direct relationships with suppliers; next, implement a qsrs-driven scorecard to highlight top performers and flag gaps; while organizing a grouped products catalog, ensure continuity for core items such as nugget options and other staple products there at scale.

Governance and data integrity require clear ownership within the organization; set quarterly reviews, maintain a single source of truth, and report year-over-year improvements to the government-compliant registry; track on-time order rates, defect levels, and supplier adherence to standards to build confidence.

Technology and data sharing should center on a unified platform that links source data, qsrs scores, and product specs; leverage linkedin and other vetted channels for due diligence, then use this information to drive supplier selection and risk mitigation; later, automate alerting when a supplier deviates from agreed thresholds.

Strategic Actions to Reinvent Church’s Chicken and Church’s Texas Chicken Global Operations

Recommendation: implement an ai-fueled procurement and menu optimization platform that links franchise partners, vendors, and managers, enabling ordered items to be tracked from purchasing to plate across international markets, with a target of 15-20% cost reduction and 5-7% lift in average ticket within the next 12 months.

Centralize purchasing and vendor management to streamline ordering, reduce rogue spend, and negotiate better terms over the next 90 days. Build processes that standardize packaging, delivery times, and invoicing, and deliver a shared dashboard used by franchise teams and presidents.

Launch a quick pilot for a nugget-focused menu with a featured lineup across flagship items. Use rapid tests on pricing, portions, and sourcing; capture results to scale across restaurants. The plan keeps costs down and quality high while boosting ticket size.

Form a cross-functional team including managers and presidents to govern the roadmap, ensuring alignment from field to office, and maintaining a clear path to profit across the franchise network.

Develop a full forecast model that uses ai-fueled data across orders, sales, and seasonality; this helps decide whether to increase or cut orders and how to allocate labor through next cycles, ensuring fast replenishment and minimizing stockouts.

Establish a vendor-scorecard program covering on-time delivery, quality, and cost benchmarks; use it to identify underperformers and trigger renegotiations over time, replacing weak suppliers with proven partners and reducing cycle times.

Embed continuous improvement across the network by strengthening core processes, training frontline staff, and implementing daily checklists and weekly reviews to keep ordered items on track from purchasing to plate.

Set clear profitability targets and track impact with metrics such as unit gross margin, cost per nugget, and average ticket; executives will visit markets to reinforce accountability and ensure initiative adoption.

Document the Full Commitment Process: Align Stakeholders, Set Milestones, and Secure Buy-In

Lock in a decision charter today, map stakeholders, and assign owners with a two-week deadline to align expectations and specify where decisions will be made to establish the needed view for success.

Use a boxes-based stakeholder map to categorize groups: franchisees, managers, purchasing teams, services providers, and store operators; assign a direct owner for each category using a simple template.

Draft a milestone plan with next steps, ordered activities, and clear owners; attach each milestone to a measurable outcome to realize progress, including insights that came from pilot tests.

Secure buy-in by quantifying impact on profit, exposure, and savings; tie milestones to prices and purchasing volumes to demonstrate value to franchisees and managers, and using data, let leaders pick the path that fits their market.

Define efficient processes for storing data, standardized reporting, and routine cross-team updates; ensure processes cover products, storing inventories, and services across channels.

Create a living dashboard that shows realized benefits and current risks across wards; provide a view that managers and franchisees can reference in weekly reviews.

Engage leaders early, supply a concrete example of how the plan improves service delivery, and post key updates on linkedin to widen exposure across the network.

Decide on purchasing strategy: whether to centralize orders or allow franchisees to place ordered items; set price bands and ensure ordering aligns with forecasted demand there.

During rollout, track storing of data, routine reporting cycles, and alignment with franchisees; build a documented process that fits into a scalable model for future scale and continuous improvement.

With this approach, leadership would secure buy-in from managers and franchisees and drive efficient service and products procurement across the network.

Match Distribution Centers to Restaurants: A Geography- and Volume-Based Framework

Recommendation: Align distribution centers with restaurant clusters by geography and volume, using direct replenishment where possible and a two-tier network to improve reliability, speed, and cost outcomes. Theres a direct path from source to their stores, reducing idle boxes and keeping shipments focused on high-velocity items.

In america, 1,200 restaurants across 12 markets would be grouped into primary hubs and cross-docks to handle fluctuations. The primary hubs would serve 60–70% of demand; the remainder would be routed directly from source to outlets during peak periods. This structure would lower average distance between facilities and outlets by 20–35% and reduce handling steps, with a focus on small, high-turn items.

Operational details: order packages average 4–6 boxes per replenishment; including 60% core items and 40% seasonal or promotional SKUs. Theres a need to track the source of each SKU and the purchasing lead times; between DCs and stores, the transfer is scheduled to avoid stockouts. The processes will highlight something that can be tightened, and small adjustments in pick accuracy can improve quality and reduce waste. Forecasts for the next year show a gradual uplift in annual demand, with america leading the gains, and the plan will prioritize high-turn items and critical SKUs.

Technology enables the framework: route optimization, real-time visibility, and automated alerts to support the role of each DC. The system uses forecasts and order history to decide when to pull from which source, and how many pallets to pick. The purchasing team should align supplier initiatives with this plan, ensuring data quality and supply continuity. This will keep service levels high while reducing waste and mis-picks. The governance will require regular status updates from presidents and government bodies to ensure compliance and alignment with market rules.

Next steps: map the geography, select sites, and design capacity with 12–18 months rollout. Build a metrics program to track order accuracy, pick rates, and box utilization; measure improvements in america markets. The initiatives will be funded through a mix of capital investments and operating cost reductions, and the team will keep stakeholders informed about progress and realized benefits. Theres a clear role for procurement and distribution teams to sustain the forecasted improvements year over year.

Adopt a Third-Party Distributor-Only Model: Selection Criteria and Transition Steps

Recommendation: Adopt a third-party distributor-only framework with a lean roster of vetted partners, binding SLAs, and a staged transition plan. Build a full coverage map, define service standards, and set escalation paths; start with a 60-day pilot in america and international corridors, then expand based on delivered performance and risk checks. This approach reduces direct handling and speeds delivery to stores, while maintaining brand integrity through joint initiatives with partners.

Selection criteria: financial strength; network density and capacity; cold-chain capability; geographic coverage; regulatory compliance; IT compatibility (EDI, API); data visibility; contract terms; and risk controls. Use a scoring rubric with a 0-5 scale on each dimension; require documented references and sample deliveries; ask for an example of a previous initiative that reduced cycle time. Ensure partners can deliver to close stores and support store-level operations; verify storing capability; confirm direct routes to stores; review cost structures and terms that support profit and price competitiveness. As an example, churchs network has used vendor-managed inventory to reduce stockouts and improve replenishment timing, delivering a clearer view of supply flow across markets.

Next steps: Step 1) define scope, regions, and volume targets; Step 2) select a short list of 4-6 distributors per major region; Step 3) sign SLAs with performance metrics (OTIF, damage rate, returns); Step 4) align purchasing forecasts with distributor planning; Step 5) map inventory flows and establish cross-docking or direct-to-store paths where appropriate; Step 6) deploy IT integration (EDI, API feeds, inventory visibility); Step 7) train teams and align daily routines; Step 8) execute staged cutover by market, with parallel cycles to minimize disruption; Step 9) set up weekly governance and monthly performance reviews; Step 10) monitor and adjust risk controls; Step 11) lock in transition with formal reviews at 90 and 180 days.

Risk controls and cost considerations: require fallback arrangements with two alternate distributors per region; maintain a safety stock buffer and carry cost analytics; set clear pricing bands and volume-based incentives to preserve profit margins; require compliance with safety, labeling, and traceability standards; ensure regulatory filings are in place where needed; implement vendor-managed inventory where feasible to reduce handling steps; maintain real-time visibility across networks through a common platform to support rapid decisions.

Metrics and next phase: monitor on-time delivery rate, damage rate, fill rate, order-to-delivery cycle, inventory turns, transportation cost per unit, and landed cost per region. Benchmark america against international corridors and adjust targets accordingly. Establish target thresholds for performance and conduct quarterly reviews. Expand the distributor roster and negotiate volume discounts with top partners while maintaining strong governance. A clear, data-driven view of progress will support brand expectations and profit growth as purchasing initiatives scale.

Leverage Collective Volume: Insights from Grounded Episode 42

Recommendation: Centralize procurement through a unified distributor network to lock in major savings on cost per case, reduce exposure to price swings, and keep cash flow predictable. This would require a direct, data-driven processes framework and a lean governance model. The importance of cross-functional alignment drives faster adoption of new terms and more predictable performance.

• Market alignment: identify 6-8 international markets with the highest demand; appoint 4 anchor distributors to cover adjacent markets; ensure they have the capacity to handle deliveries during peak periods.
• Processes and QSRS: standardize forecasting, ordering, inbound receiving, and QA checks; track qsrs across partners with a monthly dashboard.
• Storing and inventory: maintain minimal storing in central hubs while keeping 4 weeks of safety stock in key regions to prevent stockouts and reduce exposure to disruptions.
• Eliminates exposure: unify product specs, labeling, and packaging; implement a single approval process to eliminates exposure to variance across markets.
• Deliveries and cost: consolidate shipments to reduce the number of trips; renegotiate terms to improve cash flow; monitor on-time deliveries with a weekly scorecard.
• West and international markets: focus on the West region and other dense corridors; diversify suppliers to avoid single-source dependency; measure results across markets.
• Organization and role: form a cross-functional team to govern this program; define roles for distributor development, data sharing, and risk management; set quarterly milestones with a transparent cost-benefit rubric.
• ai-fueled insights: deploy ai-fueled demand signals and connect them to distributor data feeds to keep stock aligned with true demand; this would reduce stockouts and improve service levels.

Ends with measurable results: 10-15% lower transport cost, 20-30% improvement in on-time deliveries, and a shorter cash conversion cycle; keep a monthly review to adjust capacity where demand is strongest, especially in markets in the West. The organization should keep monitoring end-to-end performance and update the plan as needed, ensuring that they stay focused on the ends and continue to build scale across markets.