Chick-fil-A facts for kids
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A Chick-fil-A restaurant in Morristown, Tennessee
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Formerly
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | May 23, 1946 in Hapeville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Founder | S. Truett Cathy |
| Headquarters | 5200 Buffington Road, Atlanta, Georgia,
United States
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Number of locations
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3,059 |
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Area served
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Key people
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| Products | Chicken sandwiches, chicken dishes |
| Revenue |  US$11.3 billion (2019) |
| Owner | Cathy family |
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Number of employees
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35,574 as of August 2021[update] |
Chick-fil-A is a popular American fast food restaurant chain. It is famous for its chicken sandwiches. The company's main office is in College Park, Georgia. Chick-fil-A has over 3,000 restaurants in 48 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. You can also find them in Canada.
The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They also offer catering services for events. Chick-fil-A's special item is called the "original chicken sandwich." It is a piece of crispy, deep-fried boneless chicken breast. It comes on a toasted bun with two slices of dill pickle. You can also get it with lettuce, tomato, and cheese.
The company's values are shaped by the Christian beliefs of its founder, S. Truett Cathy. Because of this, all Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Sundays. They are also closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The company has faced discussions about its values. However, it has since focused its charitable efforts on education and fighting hunger. Chick-fil-A has been named America's favorite fast food chain for many years. It also has the highest sales per store among fast food chains.
Contents
History of Chick-fil-A
The story of Chick-fil-A began with a restaurant called the Dwarf Grill. This restaurant was opened by S. Truett Cathy in 1946. It was located in Hapeville, Georgia, near Atlanta.
In 1961, Cathy found a special pressure-fryer. It could cook a chicken sandwich as fast as a hamburger. After this, he created the name Chick-fil-A, Inc. The company's slogan is "We Didn't Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich." This refers to their famous chicken sandwich.
From 1964 to 1967, the sandwich was sold in over 50 other restaurants. This included places like Waffle House. But in 1967, the first Chick-fil-A restaurant opened. It was in a food court at the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta. After that, the sandwich was only sold at Chick-fil-A.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Chick-fil-A grew. They opened more locations in mall food courts. The first stand-alone restaurant opened in Atlanta in 1986. Since then, the company has focused more on these separate restaurants. Most new Chick-fil-A locations are in suburban areas in the Southern U.S.
Since 1997, Chick-fil-A has sponsored the Peach Bowl. This is a big college football game played every year in Atlanta. The company also sponsors college sports conferences.
In 2008, Chick-fil-A was one of the first fast-food places to remove trans fats from its food. In 2015, they opened their largest restaurant in Manhattan. It is three stories tall.
Chick-fil-A usually closes on Sundays. But sometimes, they make exceptions to help people. For example, in 2017, they opened on a Sunday. They made meals for passengers stuck at Atlanta's airport during a power outage. In 2019, a location in Alabama opened on Sunday. This was to celebrate the birthday of a 14-year-old boy with special needs.
In 2023, Chick-fil-A started offering its first non-meat sandwich. It was a breaded cauliflower sandwich. In March 2024, Chick-fil-A announced a change. They would no longer promise to use only "antibiotic-free" chicken.
How Chick-fil-A Works
Chick-fil-A's business plan focuses on a small menu and great customer service. While other fast food places offer many different items, Chick-fil-A mainly sells chicken sandwiches. The "A" in Chick-fil-A means their chicken is "grade A top quality." The company's focus on good customer service has helped it grow a lot.
Chick-fil-A builds and owns its restaurants. People who want to open a Chick-fil-A restaurant (franchisees) need to invest $10,000. These franchisees are carefully chosen and trained for many months.
In 2022, each Chick-fil-A restaurant made about $6.71 million on average. This is the highest sales per restaurant among all fast-food places in the U.S. And they achieve this by only being open six days a week!
In 2019, Chick-fil-A made $11.3 billion in sales in the United States. Only McDonald's had higher sales that year. To compete with Chick-fil-A, other chicken chains like Popeyes started selling their own fried chicken sandwiches in 2019. This led to what some call the "Chicken Sandwich Wars."
Selling Sauces in Stores
In 2020, Chick-fil-A started testing selling their dipping sauces in some Florida supermarkets. All the money made from these sales went to a scholarship fund for their employees. This test worked well, and by 2021, the sauces were sold nationwide. Two more sauces were added in 2023.
In 2022, they also started selling their salad dressings in some areas. By spring 2023, these dressings were available across the country.
Company Culture
S. Truett Cathy, the founder, was a very religious person. His Christian beliefs had a big effect on the company. Chick-fil-A's official goal is "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."
A company spokesperson said in 2012 that Chick-fil-A's goal is to treat everyone with "honor, dignity and respect." This applies to all people, no matter their beliefs or background.
Closed on Sundays
All Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Sundays. They are also closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is because the founder believed in taking Sundays as a day of rest. Cathy said closing on Sunday was "our way of honoring God."
Truett's son, Dan T. Cathy, explained that his father was very tired by Sunday. Also, Sundays were not busy days for business back then. So, they closed on the first Sunday and have done so ever since. Even Chick-fil-A locations at sports stadiums close on Sundays.
Lenten Tradition
During the Christian season of Lent, Chick-fil-A used to offer fish sandwiches. This followed the tradition of not eating meat on certain days during Lent. However, they no longer offer this item.
Chicken Without Antibiotics
In 2014, Chick-fil-A announced a plan. They would serve chicken raised without antibiotics within five years. They were one of the first fast-food restaurants to make this promise. They achieved this goal by May 2019.
Removing Additives
In 2011, a food blogger pointed out that Chick-fil-A sandwiches had many ingredients. Some included preservatives. In 2012, Chick-fil-A met with the blogger. By 2013, Chick-fil-A announced changes. They were removing high-fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes. They also tested a new peanut oil.
Chick-fil-A Around the World
Canada
In 1994, Chick-fil-A opened its first location outside the U.S. It was at the University of Alberta in Canada. This location closed after a few years. Another Canadian location opened at the Calgary International Airport in 2014, but it closed in 2019.
Chick-fil-A opened a restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, in 2019. There were some protests at the time. Chick-fil-A said it would open more stores in the Toronto area. The second Toronto location opened in 2020. The company expanded to other parts of Ontario in 2021.
South Africa
In 1996, Chick-fil-A opened its first location outside North America. It was in Durban, South Africa. A second location opened in Johannesburg in 1997. Neither of these restaurants made a profit, and they closed in 2001.
United Kingdom
A Chick-fil-A operated in Edinburgh in 2018. In 2019, Chick-fil-A opened a store in Reading, UK. This store closed in 2020. Another store opened in Aviemore, Scotland in 2019. It closed in 2020.
Later, the company changed some of its policies. In 2020, they hired their first head of diversity. They also started focusing their charity work on education and fighting hunger. In 2023, Chick-fil-A announced plans to open five new restaurants in the UK starting in 2025. They plan to invest over $100 million there.
Future Expansion
In March 2023, Chick-fil-A's CEO, Andrew Cathy, announced big plans. The company wants to open restaurants in Asia and Europe by 2026. They plan to expand to five new countries overseas by 2030. They are looking for countries with strong economies and many people.
New Locations Planned
In 2018, Chick-fil-A announced its first location in Hawaii. It opened in Kahului in 2022. More locations are planned for Honolulu and Kapoleo. The first restaurant in Puerto Rico opened in Bayamón in 2022.
Advertising
"Eat Mor Chikin" is Chick-fil-A's most famous advertising slogan. It was created in 1995. This slogan often appears in ads with dairy cows. The cows are usually holding signs that say "Eat Mor Chikin."
The company is very protective of its slogans and logos. They send letters to people who use similar phrases. They say this could confuse the public. For example, in 2011, Chick-fil-A sent a letter to an artist in Vermont. He made T-shirts that said "Eat More Kale." This caused some debate, but in 2014, the artist was allowed to trademark his phrase.
In 2016, Chick-fil-A changed its advertising agency. Along with the cows, new ads featured famous people in history. The campaign was called "Chicken for Breakfast. It's not as crazy as you think."
Sponsored Events
Chick-fil-A sponsors several sports events.
- Chick-fil-A Classic
- This is a high school basketball tournament. It is held in Columbia, South Carolina. The tournament features top players and teams from around the country. It also helps provide scholarships for high school students.
- Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
- The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is a college football game. It is played every year in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
- The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual college football game. It is played early in the season in Atlanta. It usually features two highly ranked teams.
Related Restaurants
Hapeville Dwarf House
Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant, the Dwarf Grill, in 1946. It was later renamed the Dwarf House. This is where he created the famous pressure-cooked chicken breast sandwich. The original Dwarf House in Hapeville, Georgia, is open 24 hours a day, six days a week. It closes on Sundays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It has a larger menu than other locations.
Dwarf House
Opened in 1986, these restaurants offer a full menu. Customers can choose table service, counter service, or a drive-thru. There are five Dwarf House restaurants still open in the Atlanta area.
Truett's Grill
The first Truett's Grill opened in 1996. These restaurants offer traditional, sit-down dining. They have expanded menu choices in a diner style. There are three locations in Georgia.
Truett's Chick-fil-A
These restaurants are designed to honor founder S. Truett Cathy. They are decorated with family photos and his favorite quotes. They offer drive-thru, counter, and sit-down service. There are four locations in Georgia.
Truett's Luau
Truett Cathy opened Truett's Luau in Fayetteville, Georgia, in 2013. He was 92 years old at the time. The menu includes island-inspired dishes with a Southern U.S. twist. It offers sit-down, counter, and drive-thru service.
- Dwarf House and Truett's Grill in Griffin, Georgia
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Chick-fil-a Dwarf House entrance, Griffin, Spalding County, Georgia
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Truett's Grill, 1455 N Express Way, Griffin, Spalding County, Georgia
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Chick-fil-a Dwarf House, Griffin, Spalding County, Georgia
Senior Leadership
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The Cathy family has run Chick-fil-A since it started in 1946. As of 2021, the third generation of the Cathy family was leading the company.
Chairmen of Chick-fil-A
- S. Truett Cathy (1946–2013)
- Dan Cathy (2013–present)
Chief Executives of Chick-fil-A
- S. Truett Cathy (1946–2013)
- Dan Cathy (2013–2021)
- Andrew T. Cathy (2021–present)
Menu Highlights
In 2018, the most popular item ordered at Chick-fil-A was the waffle fries. After that came soft drinks, chicken nuggets, and the original chicken sandwich. You can find all menu items and nutrition information on Chick-fil-A's website.
See also
In Spanish: Chick-fil-A para niños
- List of chicken restaurants
