Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A
Type Private
Industry Restaurants
Founded 1946 (first Dwarf House opened in Hapeville, Georgia)
1967 (first Chick-fil-A opened in Atlanta, Georgia)
Headquarters College Park, Georgia, U.S.
Key people S. Truett Cathy, Chairman, CEO
Dan T. Cathy, President, COO
Products Sandwiches, chicken entrées
Revenue increaseUS$3.5 billion (2010)
Website chick-fil-a.com
A Chick-fil-A in the food court of The Galleria in Uptown Houston, Texas
A series of Chick-fil-A trucks at the Airport West Distribution Center
Chick-fil-A at Holcombe and Buffalo Speedway, Houston, Texas
Chick-fil-A headquarters in College Park, Georgia

Chick-fil-A (pronounced /tʃɪk fɪ'leɪ/, referring to "fillet") is a quick service restaurant chain headquartered in College Park, Georgia, specializing in chicken entrées[1][2] and is known for promoting the company founder's claims of Christian values.[3] Long associated with the southern United States, where it has been a cultural icon, the chain has expanded. As of November 2011, Chick-fil-A has 1,599 restaurants in 39 states and the District of Columbia, and is focusing on the American Midwest and southern California.[4]

Contents

History

Chick-fil-A had historically been identified with shopping malls, as most of its original restaurants were in their food courts. Its first freestanding store opened in 1986; most of its new restaurants also are freestanding.[5] As of 2011, the chain has over 800 such units.[6] It also has over two dozen drive-through-only locations.[6] Chick-fil-A also can be found at universities, hospitals, and airports through licensing agreements.[6]

The chain grew from the Dwarf Grill (later the Dwarf House, a name still used by the chain), a restaurant opened by S. Truett Cathy, who is still the company's chairman, in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville in 1946.[7] This restaurant is near the now-demolished Ford plant, where some workers ate between shifts.

The first Chick-fil-A that is in a mall opened in Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall in 1967.[2] The company's current trademarked[8] slogan, "We Didn't Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich," refers to their flagship menu-item, the popular quick-serve or fast-food chicken sandwich. In 1961, Cathy found a pressure-fryer that could cook the sandwich chicken in the same amount of time it took to cook a fast-food hamburger.[9]

Since 1997, the Atlanta-based company has been the title sponsor of the Peach Bowl, an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta. Beginning in the 2006 season, the Peach Bowl became the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Chick-fil-A also is a key sponsor of the SEC, ACC, and Big 12 conferences of college athletics.[10][11]

Advertising

EAT MOR CHIKIN is the chain's most prominent advertising slogan, created by the The Richards Group. The slogan is often seen in advertisements, featuring cows that are often seen wearing signs. According to Chick-fil-A's advertising strategies, the cows have united in an effort to reform American food, in an effort to reduce the amount of beef which is eaten. They wish the American public to refrain from eating beef burgers, common at Chick-fil-A's competitors, such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's, and instead focus on eating chicken (or "chikin," as the cows spell it). The ad campaign was temporarily halted during a mad cow disease scare in late 2003/early 2004 so as not to make the chain seem insensitive or appear to be taking advantage of the scare to increase its sales. A few months later, the cows were put up again. The cows replaced the chain's old mascot, Doodles, an anthropomorphized chicken[12] who still appears as the C on the logo.

Chick-fil-A Classic

The Chick-fil-A Classic is a high school basketball tournament held in Columbia, South Carolina.[13] The tournament is in its eighth year of operation and features nationally ranked players and teams.[14] The tournament is co-sponsored by the Greater Columbia Educational Advancement Foundation (GCEAF) which provides scholarships to high school seniors in the greater Columbia area.

Dwarf House

At the original Chick-fil-A Dwarf House, in addition to the full-size entrances, there is also an extra small-sized front door.[15] The original Dwarf House in Hapeville, Georgia is open 24 hours a day, six days a week, except on Sundays (when it closes at 4 a.m. on Sunday mornings and reopens at 6 a.m. on Monday mornings). It has a larger dine-in menu than the other Dwarf House locations as well as an animated seven dwarfs display in the back of the restaurant.[15]

Truett's Grill

In 1996, the first Truett's Grill was opened in Morrow, Georgia. The second location opened in 2003 in McDonough, Georgia, and a third location opened in 2006 in Griffin, Georgia.[16] Similar to the Chick-fil-A Dwarf Houses, these independently owned restaurants offer traditional, sit-down dining and expanded menu selections in a diner-themed atmosphere. One major difference to other Chick-fil-A restaurants, however, is the fact that beef products are served there, including steaks and hamburgers.[17][18][19]

Religious and political views

S. Truett Cathy is a devout Southern Baptist; his religious beliefs are a major impact on the company.[20] The company's official statement of corporate purpose says that the business exists "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." The chain invests heavily in community services (especially for children and teenagers) and scholarships. Cathy's beliefs are also responsible for one of the chain's distinctive features: All Chick-fil-A locations (company-owned and franchised, whether in a mall or freestanding) are closed on Sundays, as well as on Thanksgiving and Christmas.[21] Cathy states as the final step in his Five-Step recipe for Business Success "I was not so committed to financial success that I was willing to abandon my principles and priorities. One of the most visible examples of this is our decision to close on Sunday. Our decision to close on Sunday was our way of honoring God and of directing our attention to things that mattered more than our business"[22]

In an interview with ABC News's Nightline, Dan Cathy, Truett's son, gave reporter Vicki Mabrey another reason why the company is closed on Sundays, saying his father opened his first restaurant on a Tuesday and "by the time Sunday came, he was just worn out. And Sunday was not a big trading day, anyway, at the time. So he was closed that first Sunday and we've been closed ever since. He figured if he didn't like working on Sundays, that other people didn't either." The younger Cathy quoted his father as saying "'I don't want to ask people to do that what I am not willing to do myself.'"[23]

Chick-fil-A has promoted religious groups via toys and CDs included in children's meals.[24]

Chick-fil-A's connection to Christianity has been brought before the courts when Aziz Latif, a Houston-based Muslim employee for six years, sued the company in 2002 for firing him, alleging that he was fired for his religious beliefs when he had refused to take part in an employee prayer.[25] The suit was settled on undisclosed terms.[26]

In 2011, various news outlets[27][28] reported that Chick-fil-A was co-sponsoring a marriage conference[27] along with the Pennsylvania Family Institute,[29] a 501(c)3 organization that seeks to "strengthen families by restoring to public life the traditional, foundational principles and values essential for the well-being of society".[30] PFI filed an amicus brief against the trial ruling striking down Proposition 8 in California,[31] and also lobbied against a state effort to ban discrimination in Pennsylvania on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.[32] This apparent affiliation coupled with donations from the company's Winshape Foundation to anti gay-marriage organizations such as the National Organization for Marriage as well as foundation statements that same-sex couples were not welcome at the foundation's marriage institute caused several colleges and universities to form grassroots efforts to ban or remove Chick-fil-A from their campuses.[33]

Responding to these news reports via their official company Facebook page, Chick-fil-A said "First and foremost, thanks for your patience as we made sure we gathered the facts in regards to recent postings. We have determined that one of our independent Restaurant Operators in Pennsylvania was asked to provide sandwiches to two Art of Marriage video seminars. As our fans, you know we do our best to serve our local communities, and one of the ways we do that is by providing food to schools, colleges, civic groups, businesses, places of worship, not-for-profit groups, etc. At his discretion, the local Operator agreed to simply provide a limited amount of food. Our Chick-fil-A Operators and their employees try very hard every day to go the extra mile in serving ALL of our customers with honor, dignity and respect."[34]

State of California court case

In 2006 a lawsuit was brought by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine against McDonalds, Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, Chili’s, TGI Fridays, Burger King and Chick-fil-A.[35] The organization asserted that cooking certain meats, including chicken, at high temperatures causes the meat to contain the chemical PhIP a compound which had caused cancer in lab rats and mice.[36] A 2009 ruling for the defendants was followed by an August 2010 appeal decided in favor of the plaintiffs.[37] The matter has not been legally resolved and is still before the courts of California.[37][38]


EAT MOR CHIKIN is the chain's most prominent advertising slogan, created by the The Richards Group. The slogan is often seen in advertisements, featuring cows that are often seen wearing signs. According to Chick-fil-A's advertising strategies, the cows have united in an effort to reform American food, in an effort to reduce the amount of beef which is eaten. They wish the American public to refrain from eating beef burgers, common at Chick-fil-A's competitors, such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's, and instead focus on eating chicken (or "chikin," as the cows spell it). The ad campaign was temporarily halted during a mad cow disease scare in late 2003/early 2004 so as not to make the chain seem insensitive or appear to be taking advantage of the scare to increase its sales. A few months later, the cows were put up again. The cows replaced the chain's old mascot, Doodles, an anthropomorphized chicken[39] who still appears as the C on the logo.

Chick-fil-A Classic

The Chick-fil-A Classic is a high school basketball tournament held in Columbia, South Carolina.[40] The tournament is in its eighth year of operation and features nationally ranked players and teams.[41] The tournament is co-sponsored by the Greater Columbia Educational Advancement Foundation (GCEAF) which provides scholarships to high school seniors in the greater Columbia area.

Dwarf House

At the original Chick-fil-A Dwarf House, in addition to the full-size entrances, there is also an extra small-sized front door.[15] The original Dwarf House in Hapeville, Georgia is open 24 hours a day, six days a week, except on Sundays (when it closes at 4 a.m. on Sunday mornings and reopens at 6 a.m. on Monday mornings). It has a larger dine-in menu than the other Dwarf House locations as well as an animated seven dwarfs display in the back of the restaurant.[15]

Truett's Grill

In 1996, the first Truett's Grill was opened in Morrow, Georgia. The second location opened in 2003 in McDonough, Georgia, and a third location opened in 2006 in Griffin, Georgia.[42] Similar to the Chick-fil-A Dwarf Houses, these independently owned restaurants offer traditional, sit-down dining and expanded menu selections in a diner-themed atmosphere. One major difference to other Chick-fil-A restaurants, however, is the fact that beef products are served there, including steaks and hamburgers.[43][44][45]

References

  1. ^ "Company Fact Sheet". http://www.chick-fil-a.com/#facts. Retrieved May 19, 2009.  "Headquarters Chick-fil-A, Inc. 5200 Buffington Road Atlanta, GA 30349-2998"
  2. ^ "City Maps City of College Park". http://www.collegeparkga.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=67. Retrieved May 25, 2009. 
  3. ^ Emily Schmall (July 7, 2007). "The Cult of Chick-Fil-A". Forbes.com. Forbes Media. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0723/080.html. Retrieved January 5, 2011. 
  4. ^ "Chick-fil-A Celebrates 1,500th Restaurant Location, Continued Sales Growth in 2010", Chick-fil-A press release, August 2010 full text
  5. ^ "Chick-fil-A". Chick-fil-A. http://www.chickfila.com/?#history. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  6. ^ a b c "Chick-fil-A". Chick-fil-A. http://www.chickfila.com/?#facts. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  7. ^ "Chick-fil-A". Chick-fil-A. http://www.chickfila.com/?#story. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  8. ^ "We Didn't Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich". Detailed trademark information from the official US federal trademark database (USPTO). Trademark.Markify.Com. http://trademark.markify.com/trademarks/uspto/we+didn't+invent+the+chicken,+just+the+chicken+sandwich/74702997. Retrieved November 1, 2011. 
  9. ^ Nickerson, Michelle; Darren Dochuk (2011). Sunbelt Rising: The Politics of Place, Space, and Region. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 295. http://books.google.com/books?id=ySPdXiVbsakC&pg=PA295#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved November 1, 2011. 
  10. ^ Marilyn Odesser-Torpey. "Reaching Out to NASCAR Nation". QSR. http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/features/97/nascar-2.phtml. 
  11. ^ "Chick-fil-A, Dr Pepper Give Fans a Million Reasons to 'Eat Mor Chikin'". SEC Sports News. http://www.secsports.com/news/default.aspx?ArticleId=6230. 
  12. ^ Joe Guy Collier (2008-07-09). "Dress-as-a-cow day reflects Chick-fil-A's 'have fun' culture". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/07/09/chickfila_cow_day.html. 
  13. ^ "Welcome to 8th Annual Chick-Fil-A Classic.com". Chick-fil-aclassic.com. http://www.chick-fil-aclassic.com/. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  14. ^ "GCEAF". Chick-Fil-A Classic. http://www.chick-fil-aclassic.com/gceaf.shtml. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  15. ^ a b c d Bovino, Arthur. "Sandwich of the Week: Dwarf House Chick-fil-A, The Dwarf House in Atlanta — the original Chick-fil-A". The Daily Meal. http://www.thedailymeal.com/sandwich-week-chick-fil. Retrieved November 3, 2011. 
  16. ^ "Truett's Grill". Truettsgrill.com. http://www.truettsgrill.com/. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  17. ^ "Chick-fil-A: Truett's Grill - Griffin". Cfarestaurant.com. http://www.cfarestaurant.com/truettsgrill-griffin/home. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  18. ^ "Chick-fil-A: Truett's Grill - McDonough". Cfarestaurant.com. http://www.cfarestaurant.com/truettsgrill-mcdonough/home. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  19. ^ "Chick-fil-A: Truett's Grill - Morrow". Cfarestaurant.com. http://www.cfarestaurant.com/truettsgrillmorrow/home. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  20. ^ "The World's Billionaires, #655 S. Truett Cathy". Forbes.Com. Forbes Publishing. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_S-Truett-Cathy_AARY.html. Retrieved November 3, 2011. 
  21. ^ "Chick-fil-A". Chick-fil-A. http://www.chick-fil-a.com/?#faqs. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  22. ^ About Truett. S. Truett Cathy. Retrieved on May 26, 2009.
  23. ^ "Nightline(ABC-TV) presents: Chik-fil-A Wins Customers ... by closing". ABC News. September 23, 2009. http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/10Commandments/ten-commandments-sabbath-holy-chick-fila-closes-sundays/story?id=8570384&page=3. Retrieved September 19, 2010. 
  24. ^ "Focus on the Family, Digital Praise Spice Up Chick-fil-A Kid's Meals Through 'Adventures In Odyssey' CD Giveaway". http://www.digitalpraise.com/pr/10172005.html. 
  25. ^ Ruggless, Ron (2002). "Muslim sues Chick-fil-A over on-the-job prayer". Nation's Restaurant News. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_44_36/ai_94131554. 
  26. ^ "The Cult of Chick-fil-A". Forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0723/080.html. Retrieved 2011-06-27. 
  27. ^ a b "Joe. My. God.: Chick-Fil-A Vanishes From Anti-Gay Event". Joemygod.blogspot.com. 2011-01-04. http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2011/01/chick-fil-vanishes-from-anti-gay-event.html. Retrieved 2011-06-27. 
  28. ^ duy (2011-01-04). "Metro Weekly". Metro Weekly. http://www.metroweekly.com/news/last_word/2011/01/is-chick-fil-a-restaurant-chai.html. Retrieved 2011-06-27. 
  29. ^ "If you're currently eating a Chick-fil-A... — Good As You:: Gay and Lesbian Activism With a Sense of Humor". Good As You. http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2011/01/if-youre-currently-eating-a-chick-fil-a.html. Retrieved 2011-06-27. 
  30. ^ "Pennsylvania Family Institute Mission Statement". Pafamily.org. http://www.pafamily.org/index.php?pID=6. Retrieved 2011-06-27. 
  31. ^ Karen Ocamb. "The Antigay Right Wing Files an Avalanche of Opposition to the Prop 8 Trial Ruling : LGBT | POV". Lgbtpov.com. http://www.lgbtpov.com/2010/09/the-antigay-right-wing-files-an-avalanche-of-opposition-to-the-prop-8-trial-ruling/. Retrieved 2011-06-27. 
  32. ^ [1][dead link]
  33. ^ http://news.change.org/stories/students-challenge-chick-fil-as-ties-to-anti-gay-organizations
  34. ^ "Official Chick-Fil-A Facebook Page". Facebook.com. http://www.facebook.com/ChickfilA. Retrieved 2011-06-27. 
  35. ^ "PCRM Files Lawsuit Over Carcinogens in Grilled Chicken". PCRM. http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=1860. Retrieved November 3, 2011. 
  36. ^ "Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk". National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cooked-meats. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
  37. ^ a b P. J. Hufstutter (August 13, 2010). "In cancer-warning fight, court rules against California restaurants". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/08/chicken-cancer-fast-food-restaurants-appeals-court-ruling.html. Retrieved 2011-10-27. 
  38. ^ "Grilled Chicken Can Cause Cancer; Plaintiff’s Claim Requiring Restaurant to Warn Consumers Moves Forward". Taft Law (Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP). http://www.taftlaw.com/news/publications/detail/699-grilled-chicken-can-cause-cancer-plaintiff-s-claim-requiring-restaurant-to-warn-consumers-moves-forward. Retrieved November 3, 2011. 
  39. ^ Joe Guy Collier (2008-07-09). "Dress-as-a-cow day reflects Chick-fil-A's 'have fun' culture". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/07/09/chickfila_cow_day.html. 
  40. ^ "Welcome to 8th Annual Chick-Fil-A Classic.com". Chick-fil-aclassic.com. http://www.chick-fil-aclassic.com/. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  41. ^ "GCEAF". Chick-Fil-A Classic. http://www.chick-fil-aclassic.com/gceaf.shtml. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  42. ^ "Truett's Grill". Truettsgrill.com. http://www.truettsgrill.com/. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  43. ^ "Chick-fil-A: Truett's Grill - Griffin". Cfarestaurant.com. http://www.cfarestaurant.com/truettsgrill-griffin/home. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  44. ^ "Chick-fil-A: Truett's Grill - McDonough". Cfarestaurant.com. http://www.cfarestaurant.com/truettsgrill-mcdonough/home. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 
  45. ^ "Chick-fil-A: Truett's Grill - Morrow". Cfarestaurant.com. http://www.cfarestaurant.com/truettsgrillmorrow/home. Retrieved 2010-06-18. 

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