Chik-Fil-a

Introduction

Chick-fil-A was founded in 1963 by Truett Cathy. Prior to 1963 Truett operated a small restaurant for 15 years in the Atlanta, Georgia area. While operating the Dwarf house Truett’s passion was always with chicken (Cathy 2013). When he discovered a pressure fryer that could cook chicken in the same amount of time it took to cook a hamburger everything changed.

From the 1963 beginnings the company has grown into a multibillion dollar company today. Starting out with only five employees Truett Cathy started working tradeshows and giving out free sandwiches (Cathy 2013). Eventually, the company moved into shopping malls to reach customers who are hungry after a day of shopping. Additionally, the company has successfully created standalone franchises located across the United States. Between 1963 and 2000 the company had increased to 600 employees and reached one billion in sales (Cathy 2013). By 2006 the company had celebrated opening its 1,000th restaurant and had surpassed two billion in sales (Cathy 2013).

A devout family man and Christian, Truett Cathy attributes Chick-fil-A’s success to fundamental beliefs. Each franchise member is required to follow these beliefs that have been established by the founder. Chick-fil-A is never open on Sunday, something Truett feels strongly about that will never change (Cathy 2013). Being closed on Sunday gives employees the opportunity to attend church to participate in whatever their religion may be. Additionally, Truett believes his employees should feel that it is their pleasure to serve the customer. Truett expects each employee to convey this to each customer served. He believes this creates an atmosphere where customers feel like they are part of the Chick-fil-A family and will want to return (Cathy 2013). In 2008 Truett was honored at the White House by President Bush for his commitment to serving others and his high standards of ethical and social responsibility (Cathy 2013). Sticking to these core...