Overview

Chick-fil-A is a fast-food restaurant with over 2,000 locations in 46 states. Well known for its slogan, “Eat Mor Chikin”, and its cow mascot, the company became famous for selling simple fried chicken sandwiches with two pickles on a buttered bun. The company has nearly six decades of selling its products to customers and is currently one of the fastest growing fast food restaurants in the United States.

Beyond its well-known chicken sandwiches, waffle fries and unique sauces offered to customers in abundance, Chick-fil-A developed a fanbase due to the high standards it places on its employees. Anyone employed at Chick-fil-A is expected to put the customer first and exhibit a respectful, pleasant attitude throughout all customer interactions. Chick-fil-A employees are expected to say “my pleasure” after engaging with customers. As a result, Chick-fil-A has the most satisfied customers, according to different industry studies.

Alongside high standards for its employees, Chick-fil-A invests highly in its team members. This can include better pay than competing fast food restaurants, college scholarships and tuition assistance for on-going education. 

Website URL

https://www.chick-fil-a.com

Number of Employees

Chick-fil-A employs over 24,400 team members across the United States.

Date Founded

Chick-fil-A was founded by S. Truett Cathy in 1961. The restaurateur was in food business for 15 years before founding the Chick-fil-A brand. His original chicken sandwich was invented in 1964 and, at the time, was only sold at his Atlanta, Georgia restaurant the Dwarf Grill (Dwarf House)

The first Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in 1967 in the Greenbriar Mall food court outside of Atlanta. The restaurant expanded to more food courts throughout the 1970s and 80s. The first free-standing Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in 1986 in Atlanta.

Company Mission Statement

Chick-fil-A has a simple mission statement:

 "Be America's best quick-service restaurant.”

The restaurant has other statements that define its mission to customers. Under the “Who We Are” section on its website, Chick-fil-A offers a quote from its founder, S. Truett Cathy: 

“We should be about more than just selling chicken. We should be a part of our customers’ lives and the communities in which we serve.”

Chick-fil-A is also famously known for being closed on Sundays. Regarding that policy, the company states:

“Our founder, Truett Cathy, made the decision to close on Sundays in 1946 when he opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia. Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose - a practice we uphold today.”

Industry

Chick-fil-A operates in the fast food industry. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI), Chick-fil-A was the most popular fast food restaurant in the United States in 2018. The restaurant is also now the third-largest fast food chain in the country. Additionally, according to the magazine Restaurant Business, Chick-fil-A is now the biggest competitor to McDonald’s.