In this blog, I will be discussing the history of Chick-Fil-A and it’s impact on American culture and society.
Samuel Truett Cathy took America’s restaurant scene by storm since World War II, transforming his Chick-fil-A business from a restaurant so small which he initially called it the Dwarf Grill.
Opened in Hapeville, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, in 1946, Cathy and his brother Ben opened the Dwarf Grill. They built it near a Ford auto plant with the idea of bringing in its hungry employees and it worked. The brothers noticed that some of their customers were taking their rolls and chicken meat to turn them into sandwiches. This gave them the idea for the Chick-fil-A concept. Ben Cathy and another brother of S. Truett were killed in a tragic plane crash. Truett Cathy continued to run the restaurant, which we renamed the Dwarf House.
S. Truett Cathy started a Chick-fil-A chain in 1967 in the Greenbriar Mall in southwestern Atlanta. Chick-fil-A franchises are closed on Sundays. Cathy opened his first restaurant on a Tuesday, and he found that by Sunday he was “just worn out.” He noted that many of his customers, as well as himself, preferred to observe the Christian Sabbath and not go out to eat on Sunday. He has kept his restaurants closed on Sundays ever since.
The company has produced television commercials, print ads, and highway billboards since 1994. These advertisements consisted of cows holding up signs that say, “EAT MOR CHICKIN”, suggesting that cows might have trouble spelling. This campaign was an effort to get people away from burger chains, which increased the fictional cows’ self-preservation.
Chick-fil-A’s business strategy involves a focus on a simple menu and great customer service. While other fast-food chains often expand their menu offerings to attempt to attract new customers, Chick-fil-A’s business model is to remain focused on chicken sandwiches. The capital “A” in “Chick-fil-A” is meant to represent that their chicken is of grade A top quality. An emphasis on customer service has also allowed the company to consistently lead the fast food industry in customer satisfaction. In a later post, I will go further in-depth about this as well as its impacts on popular culture and social media.
S. Truett Cathy was a devout Southern Baptist and his religious beliefs had a large impact on the company. The company’s official statement of 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 founder’s beliefs are responsible for the chain’s most well-known and distinctive feature: all Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays, as well as on Thanksgiving and Christmas. S. Truett 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”.
The company is very strict on this matter, where their Sunday closures extend to non-traditional locations. In addition to the many shopping malls and airports, a Chick-fil-A location at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is closed on Sundays despite the fact that the stadium’s main host, the Atlanta Falcons, plays most of their home games on Sundays.
Chick-fil-A found itself at the center of public controversy in June and July of 2012. The controversy was caused by belittling comments made by the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Dan T. Cathy, about same-sex marriage. He made several public statements about same-sex marriage, saying that those who “have the audacity to define what marriage is about” were “inviting God’s judgment on our nation”. Several well-known politicians were quick to express their disapproval. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Chicago Mayor Alderman Proco Moreno said that they hoped to block franchise expansion into their areas. The proposed bans drew criticism from liberal pundits, legal experts, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Jim Henson Company, which had a Pajanimals kids’ meal toy licensing arrangement with Chick-fil-A, said it would cease its business relationship, and donate the payment to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Chick-fil-A stopped distributing the toys, claiming that unrelated safety concerns had arisen before the controversy. The company released a statement on July 31, 2012, stating, “We are a restaurant company focused on food, service, and hospitality; our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”
In response to the controversy, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee initiated a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day movement to counter a boycott of Chick-fil-A launched by same-sex marriage activists. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also responded to two cities, Buffalo, NY, and San Antonio, TX, that were preventing Chick-fil-A from opening restaurants in their international airport. According to an FAA statement, “The FAA notes that Federal requirements prohibit airport operators from excluding persons on the basis of religious creed from participating in airport activities that receive or benefit from FAA grant funding. The findings of the investigations will be communicated to the complainants once the investigations are completed.”
Chick-fil-A is a restaurant that is always known for its tremendous service and gratitude. You will rarely leave the cashier or drive-thru window without hearing a “my pleasure” after thanking them. This culture created by the company has left an everlasting impact on our everyday lives; especially in the media. There are hundreds of memes that are on the internet on various platforms from YouTube to Tiktok, that highlight their service in such a way that is sharable and likable amongst those of all ages. Below are just a few memes. Although these posses quite the comedic value, they would not have been created if Chick-fil-A’s service was not as up to par.
The Introduction to American Studies course focused on the study of US culture in all its various forms. We practiced doing American Studies, and this project allowed us to do just that. American foodways often refer to the intersection of food in culture, traditions, and history. Giving a background of the history of Chick-fil-A gives us a base to further understand not only the values of the company in action but also to see how it emphasizes a specific culture and way of living, specifically in the United States.
The two concepts that I chose to use from the syllabus for the course were suburbia and exceptionalism. In class, we specifically focused on the 1950s suburbia and how it was a new landscape that developed to the response of the decaying urban areas. There is a push toward “Americanism”. I would like to argue that Chick-fil-A is, in fact, suburbia, and it pushes their suburban values amongst everyone. S. Truett Cathy noted the growth of American suburbs, particularly the indoor shopping malls that were being built away from the centers of cities and small towns. He utilized this opportunity to build the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in the Greenbriar Mall. Although I could not find specific numbers of how the restaurants are divided up by area, it is safe to assume that the majority of the Chick-fil-A’s are located in suburban areas of the United States. Because of this, it gives American’s a standard of who can eat at such a restaurant and setting them on a pedestal where those who have access to the restaurant feel like they belong and those who do not strive to get to that place.
In class, we learned that American exceptionalism has two meanings. One is that they are different (‘the exception’) and are better (‘exceptional’). So, American exceptionalism is a set of beliefs about both a system of government as well as a collective identity. This is reflective of Chick-fil-A in that they obtain the title of exceptionalism. Chick-fil-A’s across the nation are closed on Sunday. This was reflective of S. Truett Cathy’s religious beliefs. The fact that this has always been a characteristic of Chick-fil-A from opening day to today speaks volumes. It shows how Chick-fil-A stands out from other competitors, being the exception, and still having so many trustworthy customers regardless of being closed once a week, being exceptional.
All in all, this project allowed me to learn more about a topic that I thought I had already known about, as I am approached by it daily through a multitude of platforms. I stand by my claim that Chick-fil-A is the epitome of American Exceptionalism, where it’s values work hand-in-hand with the values of dominant culture and America as a whole. Even though there have been a few bumps along the way with the same-sex controversy being a large one, Chick-fil-A will still most likely remain the impactful and tasteful restaurant they are today, shaping the American people along the way.
“About Truett”. truettcathy.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved December 5 ,2019.
“Executive Biographies: Dan T. Cathy, President and Chief Operating Officer”. Chick-fil-A. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
Collier, Myles (July 18, 2012). “Chick-fil-A President Says ‘God’s Judgment’ Coming Because of Same-Sex Marriage”. The Christian Post. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
Ettachfini, Leila (November 18, 2019). “Chick-fil-A Won’t Entirely Rule Out Donating to Anti-LGBTQ Charities Again”. Vice. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
Gailey, Alex (May 29, 2019). “FAA launches religious discrimination investigation into Chick-fil-A’s exclusion at U.S. airports”. Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
Israel, Josh. “Chick-fil-A is still bankrolling anti-LGBTQ causes”. THINKPROGRESS. Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
Robinson, Steve (July 31, 2012). “Chick-fil-A Response to Recent Controversy”. Chick-fil-A(Press release). Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
Rose, Annie (July 25, 2012). Chick-fil-A Backlash: Politicians, Muppets Respond. ABC News. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
Voorhees, Josh (September 19, 2012). “Chick-Fil-A Is Done Fighting Gay Marriage. Kind Of, Maybe”. The Slatest. Slate. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
Chick-Fil-A: The Epitome of American Exceptionalism