Americans love hamburgers, and they love being able to grab a quick, inexpensive meal whenever the mood strikes them. And yet, one of that country’s most successful fast-food chains, Chick-fil-A, doesn’t sell any beef, is relatively pricey, and doesn’t allow any of its stores to open on Sundays.
The company has weathered controversy, and adheres to its basic products while it adapts its menu to suit changing tastes. It’s always near or at the top of industry surveys for its food and service. And despite being smaller and only open six days a week, it’s steadily chipping away at the massive market share currently held by giants like McDonald’s.
Chick-fil-A evolved from the Dwarf Grill, opened in Georgia in 1946 by a man named Truett Cathy. Chicken normally takes longer to cook than hamburger, but Cathy found a method of pressure-frying that allowed him to prepare a chicken breast in the same amount of time.
His first Chick-fil-A opened in a shopping mall in Atlanta in 1967 — the company claims it was the country’s first-ever mall restaurant — and served chicken sandwiches.
The company was cautious in its expansion, especially since fast-food customers were primarily used to hamburgers: McDonald’s had already opened 500 restaurants by 1963.
Chick-fil-A’s outlets were exclusively in malls until 1986, when it opened its first stand-alone restaurant. These now account for the vast majority of the chain’s 1,900-plus locations.
The company also operates a handful of drive-through-only stores, and licenses operations in hospitals, airports, universities and office buildings. One of these, in Calgary International Airport, is currently the chain’s only Canadian location.
Chick-fil-A’s basic business model is that while it is a fast-food restaurant, it treats customers as if it were a full-service restaurant.
Cathy modelled his practices on the service guests received at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, and so instead of “You’re welcome,” employees must say, “My pleasure.”
If it’s raining, they walk customers to their cars with umbrellas. There are fresh flowers on the tables, and employees stop by to see if diners have everything they need. If required, they’ll top up the free drink refills, or grab extra condiments or napkins.
When your order is ready, you are called by your name, not by a number. However, if you sat at a table while waiting, someone will bring it to you.
The idea is that once you sit down, you don’t have to get up again to get anything.
Although Chick-fil-A’s least-expensive chicken sandwich can be three times the price of one from McDonald’s, fans are fiercely loyal due to the service and quality. Most reviews rate Chick-fil-A’s sandwich as the better-tasting of the two.
Fans also comment on the cleanliness, which franchisees must keep to strict standards. A store in New York received a “C” rating for health code violations, which would have allowed it to stay open while addressing the issues. Instead, it was closed immediately in order to fix the problems and reopen with an “A” rating.
The company takes customer loyalty seriously and vigorously campaigns not only to keep it, but also to use it. The first 100 people to enter a new location on opening day receive free food for a year. They must camp overnight beforehand to qualify, and Chick-fil-A promotes pictures of the tents on its website — people so eager to get inside that they’ll sleep in the parking lot.
The company’s famous “cows” ad campaigns started in 1995. The ads feature cattle holding misspelled signs encouraging people to “Eat Mor Chikin,” rather than beef. Stuffed versions have become a popular toy, and billboards feature life-size fiberglass cows that look like they’re painting the phrase on themselves.
As well as a shrewd businessman, Cathy was also a devout Christian who carried that into his work. Franchise owners set their restaurant hours, but all must close on Sundays, as well as Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Being a Christian isn’t mandatory to run a franchise, but operators must follow the company’s guidelines of compassion and humility. That said, Chick-fil-A has been successfully sued several times for employment discrimination related to faith and gender.
The company’s emphasis on faith took a turn in 2012. As some states began legalizing same-sex marriage, Dan Cathy, son of the founder and now the company’s president and CEO, argued against it on a radio show. Protests were held at numerous outlets.
Chick-fil-A became nationwide news that went well beyond Cathy’s comments, and its restaurants became catalysts between those in favour and those opposed.
Dan Cathy, who was planning expansions into large urban markets like Manhattan where his stand wasn’t as popular, quietly let the controversy die out and later told a newspaper he was focusing solely on customer service instead of political issues.
Several things have changed under his command. He’s bringing in antibiotic-free chicken, conducting tests with the goal of removing food additives, and has replaced coleslaw with kale salad in response to changing tastes. But he also knows he’s not big enough to beat the burger barons at their game, so he plays to his strengths.
The Chick-fil-A cows will stay only on the billboards, and will never have a place on the grill.
