Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 16:15, 3 August 2012

This article appears to be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-recent events. (July 2012)

Chick-fil-A

File:Chick-fil-A.svg
Company 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	US$4.0 billion (2011)
Website	chick-fil-a.com

Chick-fil-A (referring to "fillet") is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Georgia, United States, specializing in chicken entrées. Long associated with the Southern United States, where it has been a cultural icon, the chain has expanded. As of April 2012, Chick-fil-A has 1,614 restaurants in 39 states and the District of Columbia, and is focusing future growth in the American Midwest, the Philippines, Mexico and Southern California.

History

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, Georgia suburb of Hapeville in 1946. This restaurant is near a now-demolished Ford plant, where some workers ate between shifts.

In 1961, after 15 years in the fast food business, Cathy found a pressure-fryer that could cook the chicken sandwich in the same amount of time it took to cook a fast-food hamburger. Following this discovery, he registered the name Chick-fil-A, Inc. The company's current trademarked 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.

The first Chick-fil-A opened in 1967 in the food court of the Greenbriar Mall, in a suburb of Atlanta. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the chain continued to grow by opening many new franchises in the privatized space of suburban malls' food courts. The first freestanding franchise opened in 1986. The company subsequently focused more on such franchises rather than food courts, and has expanded from its original geographic base, although most new restaurants are located in Southern suburban areas. As of 2012, the chain has approximately 1000 stand-alone locations. It also has 32 drive-through-only locations. Chick-fil-A also can be found at universities, hospitals, and airports through licensing agreements.

Since 1994, 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.

Business model

Chick-fil-A uses a model significantly different from other restaurant franchises, notably in retaining ownership of each restaurant. Chick-fil-A selects the restaurant location, builds it, and pays the rent, while retaining ownership. Whereas franchisees from competing chains need about $2 million to operate a franchise, Chick-fil-A franchisees need only a $5,000 initial investment to become an operator. The company gets 10,000-25,000 applications from potential franchise operators for 60-70 slots they open each year. Chick-fil-A gets a larger share of revenue from its franchises than other chains, but the formula works well for operators — franchisees make an average of $190,000 per year. In 2010 Chick-fil-A took the industry lead in average sales per restaurant, making an average of $2.7 million per restaurant in 2010 (McDonald's was second with $2.4 million per restaurant).

Advertising

"Eat mor chikin" is the chain's most prominent advertising slogan, created by the The Richards Group in 1995. The slogan is often seen in advertisements, featuring cows that are often seen wearing (or holding) signs that read: "Eat mor chikin" in all capital letters. 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 that 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. The ad campaign was temporarily halted during a mad cow disease scare on January 1, 2004 so as not to make the chain seem insensitive or appear to be taking advantage of the scare to increase its sales. Two months later, the cows were put up again. The cows replaced the chain's old mascot, Doodles, an anthropomorphized chicken who still appears as the C on the logo.

Chick-fil-A vigorously protects its intellectual property, sending cease and desist letters to those they think have infringed on their trademarks. The corporation has successfully protested at least 30 instances of the use of an "eat more" phrase, saying that the use would cause confusion of the public, dilute the distinctiveness of their intellectual property, and diminish its value. A 2011 letter to Vermont artist Bo Muller-Moore who screen prints t-shirts reading: "Eat More Kale" demanded that he cease printing the shirts and turn over his website. The incident has drawn criticism from Vermont governor Peter Shumlin and has created backlash against Chick-fil-A's "corporate bullying."

Sponsored events

Chick-fil-A Classic

The Chick-fil-A Classic is a high school basketball tournament held in Columbia, South Carolina. The tournament is in its eighth year of operation and features nationally ranked players and teams. 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.

Chick-fil-A Bowl

Formerly known as the Peach Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Bowl is a college football bowl game played each year in Atlanta, Georgia between teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference.

Chick-fil-A College Kickoff

The Chick-fil-A College Kickoff is an annual early-season college football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. It features two highly ranked teams, one of which has always been from the Southeastern Conference. Starting with the 2012 season, the event will be expanded to two games.

Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America

The Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America is an annual charity motorcycle tour to raise money for, among other charities, the Victory Junction Gang Camp for terminally ill children.

Related restaurants

The Hapeville Dwarf House

Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant, The Dwarf Grill — later renamed the Dwarf House — in Hapeville, Georgia, in 1946 and developed the pressure-cooked chicken breast sandwich there. At the original Chick-fil-A Dwarf Grill, in addition to the full-size entrances, there is also an extra small-sized front door. 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.

Dwarf House

Truett's original, full-service restaurants offer an extensive menu and provide customers a choice of table service, walk-up counter service or a drive-thru window. Eleven Chick-fil-A Dwarf House restaurants currently operate in the metro Atlanta area.

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. 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.

Corporate culture

S. Truett Cathy is a devout Southern Baptist; his religious beliefs have a major impact on the company. 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."

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. 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."

In an interview with ABC News's Nightline, Truett's son Dan Cathy told reporter Vicki Mabrey that another reason why the company is closed on Sundays, was because "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."

Controversy regarding same-sex marriage stance

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

In January 2011, the media reported that Chick-fil-A was co-sponsoring a marriage conference along with the Pennsylvania Family Institute (PFI), an organization that has opposed same-sex marriage legislation in California and Pennsylvania. Chick-fil-A clarified that "one of our independent Restaurant Operators in Pennsylvania was asked to provide sandwiches to two Art of Marriage video seminars." The WinShape Foundation also stated it would not allow same-sex couples to participate in its marriage retreats. Chick-fil-A has donated millions to the WinShape Foundation, which then gave millions to groups including Focus on the Family and Eagle Forum that are politically active in opposing same-sex marriage and other gay rights issues. In response, students at several colleges and universities formed grassroots efforts to ban or remove the company's restaurants from their campuses.

In June and July 2012, Chick-fil-A COO Dan Cathy made several public statements supporting what he referred to as "the traditional family," saying about same-sex marriage that those who "have the audacity to define what marriage is about" were "inviting God's judgment on our nation". Several prominent politicians expressed disapproval. Boston mayor Thomas Menino and Chicago alderman Proco "Joe" Moreno said 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, citing unrelated safety concerns that had arisen prior to the controversy.

In response to criticism of the Cathy family's support for "traditional marriage," politician Mike Huckabee created the counter-protest for August 1 called "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day." Many stores reported historic sales for the event, additionally sales have set a company record, however the company declined to give specific sales figures. One location had to close early after nearly selling out of chicken in Augusta, Georgia.

Lawsuit over cancer risk

In 2006 a lawsuit was brought by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine against McDonald's, Applebee's, Outback Steakhouse, Chili's, T.G.I. Friday's, Burger King and Chick-fil-A. 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. A 2009 ruling for the defendants was followed by an August 2010 appeal decided in favor of the plaintiffs. The matter has not been legally resolved and is still before the courts of California.

References

1. ^ "Company Fact Sheet". Retrieved July 30, 2012. "Headquarters Chick-fil-A, Inc. 5200 Buffington Road Atlanta, GA 30349-2998"
2. "City Maps [[College Park, Georgia|City of College Park]]". Retrieved May 25, 2009. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
3. http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061207/news_1b7chick.html
4. "Chick-fil-A Celebrates 1,500th Restaurant Location, Continued Sales Growth in 2010", Chick-fil-A press release, August 2010 full text
5. Nickerson, Michelle (2011). Sunbelt Rising: The Politics of Place, Space, and Region. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 295. Retrieved November 1, 2011. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
6. "We Didn't Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich". Detailed trademark information from the official US federal trademark database (USPTO). Trademark.Markify.Com. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
7. Daren Grem, "The World of Chick-Fil-A and the Business of Sunbelt Evangelicalism," Southern Spaces, 8 March 2012. http://www.southernspaces.org/2012/world-chick-fil-and-business-sunbelt-evangelicalism
8. Marilyn Odesser-Torpey. "Reaching Out to NASCAR Nation". QSR.
9. "Chick-fil-A, Dr Pepper Give Fans a Million Reasons to 'Eat Mor Chikin'". SEC Sports News.
10. Russell Grantham (December 28, 2011). Chick-fil-A model helps it lead "Chick-fil-A model helps it lead". ajc.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 29, 2012. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
11. Joe Guy Collier (2008-07-09). "Dress-as-a-cow day reflects Chick-fil-A's 'have fun' culture". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
12. Ring, Wilson (November 28, 2011). "Eat more kale: A David vs. Goliath fight with Chick-fil-A?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
13. Carapezza, Kirk (December 2, 2011). "In Vermont, Fighting For The Rights To 'Eat More'". Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
14. Bidgood, Jess (December 4, 2011). "Chicken Chain Says Stop, but T-Shirt Maker Balks". The New York Times.
15. "Welcome to 8th Annual Chick-Fil-A Classic.com". Chick-fil-aclassic.com. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
16. "GCEAF". Chick-Fil-A Classic. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
17. ^ Bovino, Arthur. "Sandwich of the Week: Dwarf House Chick-fil-A, The Dwarf House in Atlanta — the original Chick-fil-A". The Daily Meal. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
18. "Truett's Grill". Truettsgrill.com. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
19. "Chick-fil-A: Truett's Grill - Griffin". Cfarestaurant.com. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
20. "Chick-fil-A: Truett's Grill - McDonough". Cfarestaurant.com. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
21. "Chick-fil-A: Truett's Grill - Morrow". Cfarestaurant.com. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
22. "The World's Billionaires, #655 S. Truett Cathy". Forbes.Com. Forbes Publishing. March 10, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
23. "Executive Biographies: Dan T. Cathy, President and Chief Operating Officer". Chick-fil-A. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
24. "Chick-fil-A's Closed-on-Sunday Policy" (PDF) (Press release). Chick-fil-A. 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
25. "Chick-fil-A". Chick-fil-A. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
26. About Truett. S. Truett Cathy. Retrieved on May 26, 2009.
27. "Nightline(ABC-TV) presents: Chik-fil-A Wins Customers ... by closing". ABC News. September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
28. *January 31, 2011. "Chick-fil-A defends its values". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved July 29, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    • duy (2011-01-04). "Metro Weekly". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
    • "Pennsylvania Family Institute Mission Statement". Pafamily.org. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
    • Ocamb, Karen (September 26, 2010). "Evaluating the amicus brief avalanche of anti-gay opposition to the Prop 8 trial decision". Prop8TrialTracker.Com. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
    • Scolforo, Mark (December 23, 2010). "Without state law, Pa. towns tackle anti-gay bias". Delaware County Daily Times. Associated Press.
29. "Chick-fil-A Facebook Page". Facebook. January 6, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
30. McWhirter, Cameron (July 27, 2012). "Chick-fil-A's Long Christian Heritage". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
31. Jones, Michael (January 26, 2011). "Yes, Chick-fil-A Says, We Explicitly Do Not Like Same-Sex Couples". Change.Org. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
32. *"Form 990-PF: Return of Private Foundation" (pdf). WinShape Foundation, Inc. Guidestar. 2010.
    • Devaney, Tim; Stein, Tom (November 8, 2011). "Chick-fil-A Increases Donations to Anti-Gay Groups". AllBusiness.com.
    • Winters, Rosemary (November 10, 2011). "Sugar House protesters say Chick-fil-A is anti-gay". The Salt Lake Tribune.
    • Michelson, Noah (November 1, 2011). "Chick-Fil-A Fast Food Chain Donated Nearly $2 Million To Anti-Gay Groups In 2009". The Huffington Post.
    • Ward, Alex (July 23, 2012). "The Muppets cut ties with Chick-Fil-A restaurant after president's anti-gay marriage comments". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
    • "Chick-Fil-A Donated Nearly $2 Million To Anti-Gay Groups In 2010". Equality Matters. July 2, 2012.
    • Boucly, Chris (July 24, 2012). "Gay youths plan protest against Chick-fil-A". The Orange County Register. Retrieved July 26, 2012. $3.84 million was contributed primarily to Christian organizations such as Marriage and Family Foundation, which received $1.18 million, and Family Research Council, which received $1,000. The Family Research Council "believes that homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large," according to its Web site. The Marriage and Family Foundation, whose chairman is Chick-fil-A senior vice president Donald Cathy, gave grants totaling $639,000 to six organizations that support strong traditional marriages and families.
33. *Jones, Michael (February 2, 2011). "Students Challenge Chick-fil-A's Ties to Anti-Gay Organizations". Change.org.
    • "NYU Decided To Keep "Homophobic" Chick-fil-A Long Before Petition Launched".
    • Rocheleau, Matt (February 28, 2012). "Northeastern cancels Chick-fil-A plans after student group denounces chain". Boston Globe. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
34. *Starnes, Todd (July 25, 2012). "Rahm: "Chick-fil-A Values Are Not Chicago Values"". Fox News Radio. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
    • Collier, Myles (July 18, 2012). "Chick-fil-A President Says 'God's Judgment' Coming Because of Same-Sex Marriage". The Christian Post. Retrieved 26 July 2012. I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage'. I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.
    • "What Dan Cathy said". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 26, 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
    • Blume, K. Allan (2 July 2012). "'Guilty as charged,' Dan Cathy says of Chick-fil-A's stand on faith". Biblical Recorder. Cary, NC. North Carolina Baptist State Convention. Retrieved 22 July 2012. as an organization we can operate on biblical principles.
    • Hsu, Tiffany (July 18, 2012). "Is Chick-fil-A anti-gay marriage? 'Guilty as charged,' leader says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
35. Lopez, Ricardo (July 26, 2012). "San Francisco is the third city to tell Chick-fil-A: Keep out". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
36. *Turner, Greg (July 20, 2012). "Mayor Menino on Chick-fil-A: Stuff it". The Boston Herald. Retrieved July 21, 2012. Chick-fil-A doesn't belong in Boston. You can't have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We're an open city, we're a city that's at the forefront of inclusion... That's the Freedom Trail. That's where it all started right here. And we're not going to have a company, Chick-fil-A or whatever the hell the name is, on our Freedom Trail.
    • "Mayor's letter to Chick-fil-A". The Boston Herald. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
    • Dardick, Hal (July 25, 2012). "Alderman to Chick-fil-A: No deal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
37. *Drum, Kevin (July 26, 2012). "Rahm Emanuel Needs to Back Off on Chick-fil-A". Mother Jones. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
    • McClelland, Edward (July 26, 2012). "Conservatives and Liberals Defend Chick-fil-A". Ward Room. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
    • Miller, Joshua Rhett (July 26, 2012). "Legal eagles cry fowl over politicians' plans to block Chick-fil-A". Fox News. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
38. *Rose, Annie (July 25, 2012). "Chick-fil-A Backlash: Politicians, Muppets Respond". ABC News Video. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
    • Lendon, Brad (July 24, 2012). "Henson, Huckabee take sides in Chick-fil-A same-sex marriage controversy". CNN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
    • Hsu, Tiffany (28 July 2012). "Chick-fil-A's PR chief dies suddenly amid gay-marriage imbroglio". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
39. *Bartkewicz, Anthony (July 25, 2012). "Coincidence? Chick-Fil-A pulls Jim Henson toys". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 30, 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
40. Anderson, Derek (August 2, 2012). "Burlington Chick-fil-A swamped by supporters on 'Appreciation Day'". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
41. http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=16904664&sid=77
42. "Huckabee: Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day 'beyond anything I could have imagined'". Fox. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
43. Rene Lynch (2 August 2012). "Chick-fil-A 'appreciation' day: Frenzied sales set record". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
44. Amy Bingham (2 August 2012). "Chick-fil-A Has 'Record-Setting' Sales on Appreciation Day". ABC News. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
45. Stephen N. Dethrage (2 August 2012). "Augusta Chick-fil-A runs out of food, closes early". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
46. "PCRM Files Lawsuit Over Carcinogens in Grilled Chicken". PCRM. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
47. "Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk". National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
48. ^ P. J. Hufstutter (August 13, 2010). "In cancer-warning fight, court rules against California restaurants". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
49. "Grilled Chicken Can Cause Cancer; Plaintiff's Claim Requiring Restaurant to Warn Consumers Moves Forward". Taft Law (Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP). Retrieved November 3, 2011.

External links

• Chick-fil-A

• Atlanta
• Companies
• Food

• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from August 2012
• Chick-fil-A
• Companies based in Fulton County, Georgia
• Fast-food chains of the United States
• Fast-food poultry restaurants
• Hapeville, Georgia
• Opposition to same-sex marriage
• Privately held companies based in Georgia (U.S. state)
• Restaurants established in 1946