2. For Truett Cathy it seemed like such a
simple idea: make a sandwich using chicken.
From that invention over 40 years ago,
Chick-fil-A® has grown to be one of
the largest privately owned
restaurant chains in the nation.
3. “It’s Our Pleasure to Serve”
It’s refreshing to know that there’s a company that cares about serving
quality food fast, that has compassion for people, that knows how to
have fun, and that takes advantage of every opportunity to impact the
community for good.
That company - our company - is Chick-fil-A, Inc. For more than 40 years
we’ve been taking pleasure in serving our customers and in that time,
Chick-fil-A has become one of the largest privately owned restaurant
chains in the nation. Now, you’ll find out why . . .
Back in 1946, an
enterprising young
Georgia restaurateur
named Truett Cathy
started serving food
in a tiny restaurant
called the Dwarf Grill
in Hapeville, Georgia,
south of downtown
Atlanta. In 1963, he
conceived what he
determined was a simple
idea: make and market a
mouth-watering chicken
sandwich. And, oh,
how that little idea has
taken off.
Truett opened his first
Chick-fil-A Restaurant
in 1967 at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta. That’s where he served his perfected Chick-fil-A®
Chicken Sandwich, intentionally creating it from the finest quality ingredients, including
whole breast of chicken and lower-fat peanut oil. From its modest beginnings in the tiny
south Atlanta eatery more than 60 years ago, Chick-fil-A® has grown into a beloved
American icon, now serving a variety of fresh, tasty meals and menu items still made from
delicious quality ingredients.
Along the way, we’ve helped create our own icons as well - the increasingly popular
Chick-fil-A Cows®, our black and white spotted renegades who turn up in the most unlikely
places and urge customers to Eat Mor Chikin®. The popularity of the Chick-fil-A Cows
and the Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich has grown to the extent that more Americans are
asking for Chick-fil-A to locate in their communities. To that end, our Restaurants - whether
they are freestanding, in malls, or in licensed locations such as hospitals and college
campuses - are moving rapidly from their Southern “home” base to points Midwest, West
and Northeast. Today, there are more than 1,300 Chick-fil-A Restaurants, with many more
planned in new and existing markets.
4. For 40 years, our company has benefited from annual revenue growth, typically in double
digits. According to both Chick-fil-A® insiders and business experts who have watched
Chick-fil-A grow, the company has tapped into “loyalty effect economics,” making
exceptionally loyal followers of customers, corporate employees and franchised Operators
in a way that other companies envy.
“Founder Truett Cathy has so effectively marshaled loyalty effect economics
that he can afford to … grow the chain and to contribute approximately 10%
of profits to charity. This loyalty effect, the full range of economic and human
benefits that accrue to leaders who treat their customers, Operators, and
employees in a manner worthy of their loyalty, is at the core of most of the truly
successful growth companies in the world today. And there is no clearer case
study of the loyalty effect than Chick-fil-A.”
– Fred Reichheld, Harvard Business Review and author of The Loyalty Effect.
From the beginning, the priority for Truett has never
been just to serve chicken or to earn profits. The
Chick-fil-A, Inc. corporate purpose says that we strive
“to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that
is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on
all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” It’s why we
care about the greater community in which we live and
operate and why we choose to support kids and youth
first and foremost. And we remain closed on Sundays
to allow our corporate staff and franchised Operators
and their employees and customers to take a day to
rest, spend time with family and friends and worship if
they choose.
Most Chick-fil-A Restaurants are independently owned
and operated by local business men and women. These
dedicated franchisee Operators choose to give back to the communities in which they
live and work, based on the specific needs around them. Indeed, making interpersonal
connections and interacting in the community played an integral part in the servant spirit
first espoused by Truett
Cathy when he founded
Chick-fil-A, and they
remain a core value
today.
Start with delicious
Food, add People, mix
in a few playful Cows,
top it off with Loyalty,
and you get Influence
that, we hope, makes a
positive impact on all
who come in contact
with Chick-fil-A.
5. There are a lot of reasons customers love Chick-fil-A : ®
Our Food
“I just want to thank you for your great healthy food choices. It is so nice to be able to go
into a restaurant and have whole grain, fruit and grilled choices. Not to mention they are
fresh and tasty.”
– Angela
Chick-fil-A Raving Fan, Levittown, PA
Chick-fil-A People
“If you want to be a winner in anything, associate yourself with people who are winners.”
– S. Truett Cathy
Chick-fil-A, Inc. Founder, Chairman and CEO
The Cows & Our Brand
”The Chick-fil-A Cows have become an American advertising icon that entices travelers
with entertaining wit. The brand’s ongoing outdoor campaign has remained fresh with
new messages while always maintaining the core integrity of the campaign.”
– Stephen Freitas,
Outdoor Advertising Association of America’s Chief Marketing Officer
Community. Loyalty. Influence.
“Mr. Cathy to me is Grandpa. He loves helping people, who through no fault of their own,
are in bad situations. For me, I didn’t have a secure family. And he had the means and
the love to provide one for me.”
– Richard Yadkowski,
former WinShape Homes® foster child, current foster parent
6. Chick-fil-A boasts a menu
based on chicken products
and fresh ingredients; tasty
side dishes; enjoyable desserts;
and “hand-made” preparation
techniques for many products,
such as our hand-breaded
chicken, made-from-scratch
salads and freshly squeezed
lemonade. Our menu offers
a variety of delicious choices
that fit into any healthy,
well-balanced diet.
7. Our Food
From Truett Cathy’s early solo experiments to perfect his new chicken
sandwich to today’s sophisticated approaches to formulating everything from
sauces to soup, the taste and quality of Chick-fil-A’s food has always been at
the forefront of our formula for success.
You can’t get a chicken sandwich anywhere in the world that tastes quite like our original
signature Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich. Our unique Waffle Potato Fries™ and freshly
squeezed Lemonade remain top sellers year after year. As we’ve branched out from our
home in the Southeast to locations across the country, we’ve added Chick-fil-A® Nuggets
and our Chick-fil-A® Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich and breakfast items including Breakfast
Burritos, Bagels and Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis™ to please the palates and diets of our
customers far and wide.
Chick-fil-A was among one of the first quick-service restaurant chains to add healthier
choices to our menus. Our offerings include our homemade, Hearty Breast of Chicken
Soup, our variety of fresh salads, the Cool Wrap®, fruit cups and more!
Of course, our food starts with only the freshest ingredients: crisp vegetables; juicy lemons;
and tender and lean whole breast meat chicken. All of our salads are made from scratch and
our Iced Tea is brewed daily in each Chick-fil-A Restaurant.
During new Store Grand Openings, President Dan Cathy often gives tours of the kitchen
to customers. “They are always surprised by the premium brands we use behind the scenes,”
he says. “It is important to us that Chick-fil-A utilize the best available products.”
“While it’s overwhelming, it’s really no surprise to me that Truett Cathy and Chick-fil-A are
so successful,” says Lanette Suttles, 80,
a Hapeville resident and long-time
Cathy family friend. Lanette and her
husband, Bill, who was the retired
President Emeritus of Georgia State
University prior to his death in 2003,
went on their first date at Truett’s
Dwarf Grill shortly after the restaurant
opened in 1946. They also had their
last meal out together there.
“The restaurant always offered good
quality food at a good price. It was
about more than that for us, though.
It was about food, fellowship and
relationships,” she says.
8. A | Much of Chick-fil-A’s
success can be attributed to
the leadership of its franchised
Restaurant Operators like Jake
Roye in Waco, Texas.
A B | Chick-fil-A has become a
family affair for Pete Burgess,
who operates three Chick-fil-A
Restaurants in Jacksonville,
North Carolina.
B
C | The Restaurant team
members play an integral
role at franchised Chick-fil-A
Restaurant businesses. They
are special people who strive
to make exceptional service
a priority.
D | IT Training & Communication
C
Manager Maureen Bedient
says when visitors meet the
“inspiring” folks at Chick-fil-A,
and sample the homegrown
camaraderie, teamwork, and
culture, they can’t help but want
to be part of it.
D
9. Chick-fil-A® People
At Chick-fil-A, our people are much more than a commodity or a number to be counted.
At Chick-fil-A, we count years of service and smiles on the faces of our franchised
Operators, their team members and our corporate office staff.
Chick-fil-A is an extended family for long-time Operator Pete Burgess and his family,
especially his two daughters, Tiffany and Jessica. Pete has been in the Chick-fil-A family
for over 25 years and currently is the franchised Operator of three Stores in Jacksonville,
North Carolina. Following graduation from UNC-Chapel Hill, daughter Tiffany Burgess
Choice became his Unit Marketing Director and assists him in Restaurant operations as
well. Younger daughter Jessica recently graduated from UNC and is working with
Chick-fil-A University in the Chick-fil-A, Inc. corporate office. “I like to say all I know
how to do is cook chicken. I had thought my daughters would want to get as far away
At Chick-fil-A, our people are much more than a commodity or a number to
be counted. At Chick-fil-A, we count years of service and smiles on the faces of
our franchised Operators, their team members and our corporate office staff.
from chicken as possible, but they have both seen what I and our family have accomplished
through [my affiliation with] Chick-fil-A and decided it is the best career for them,” says
Pete. “They’ve been helping me in my Stores since they were in pigtails and I am very
proud that they are becoming second generation Chick-fil-A leaders.”
Approaching ten years of service, IT Training & Communication Manager Maureen Bedient
says there’s no place she’d rather be than with Chick-fil-A. “I consider myself lucky to work
with and learn from the most amazing, inspiring people every day - both at the home office
and at the Units,” says Maureen. “People here at Chick-fil-A tell each other how much they
appreciate each other. That helps us maintain great relationships, when others know how
much you appreciate them and what they do.”
Besides the encouragement and camaraderie of the people at Chick-fil-A, Maureen says it
is her ever-changing day-to-day duties that keep her coming back with a smile. “That may
be what I like most. Whether it’s conducting in-field Operator training sessions, helping at
a Grand Opening, or working on a corporate documentation project, there’s always variety
from week-to-week.”
Maureen says that when the team at Chick-fil-A is working together toward a common
goal or milestone - whether it be a Grand Opening, a staff meeting, or Summit - the fun
and excitement generated by the people who represent Chick-fil-A is contagious. “Visitors
notice the close feel here at Chick-fil-A and they envy it,” she says. “It’s just a culture you
want to be a part of!”
Relationships. Teamwork. Loyalty…That’s Chick-fil-A.
10. A | During Chick-fil-A®’s annual
A
Cow Appreciation Day™ event,
free meals are awarded to anyone
who isn’t “too chicken” to dress
up like a cow and visit any of the
chain’s 1,300-plus restaurants.
B | The award-winning Eat Mor
Chikin® Cow campaign has
become almost as synonymous
with Chick-fil-A as the original
Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich.
The Chick-fil-A Cows and the
Eat Mor Chikin campaign have
enjoyed such widespread public
success that the chain has turned
the theme into a long-standing,
fully integrated marketing
program.
B
C | Chick-fil-A’s Eat Mor Chikin®
Cow mascots have become
well-known celebrities and are
the star attraction each time they
make an appearance among
both the young and the young
at heart.
C
11. The Cows & Our Brand
A brand is a promise.
Since 1995, when the Chick-fil-A Cows debuted as a three-dimensional billboard campaign,
they have become our company’s “moovers” and shakers alongside our famous Chick-fil-A
trademarked logo. The Cows have proven their grassroots appeal. Still, Chick-fil-A’s
famous brand is more than just our playful, spotted Cows. It’s People, Food, Influence and
the Cows that
attract and retain
loyal customers.
We recognize that
our brand promise
starts the second
a customer enters
a Chick-fil-A
Restaurant.
We leave it to
the franchised
Operator and
his or her team
members to deliver the brand promise by allowing their own personalities to shine,
establishing relationships with customers, reaching out to the community, and creating
memorable experiences.
Chick-fil-A’s famous brand is more than just our playful, spotted Cows. It’s
People, Food, Influence and the Cows that attract and retain loyal customers.
“Our vision is to be the guest’s number one choice for
quick-service food,” says John Howard, Operator of the
Chick-fil-A in Long Beach, California. “Every interaction
starts with that vision. We put our folks with the
brightest smiles and most dynamic personalities right
out front. We put our Cows out in the community at
least four days a week.”
John Howard has been called a “cowpoke” once or twice,
but never a “slowpoke”. As a pioneer in Chick-fil-A’s
western “cattle drive”, he and his team members have
been busy building brand awareness in the wild West.
“Our approach out here on the frontier has got to be
aggressive” he says. “The Cows make this a lot of fun. I look forward to coming to work
every day and it no longer seems like a job.”
12. A | The Chick-fil-A Bowl™ leads
all bowl games in charitable
and scholarship contributions.
Last year, the Bowl contributed
a record $526,000 to charities
and educational institutions.
The Chick-fil-A Bowl has given
A more than $2.5 million to various
charitable organizations over the
last eight years.
B | Dan Cathy proudly displays
the “Chicken Pack” T-shirt. This
self-proclaimed group is just
one example of Chick-fil-A’s loyal
customer base. Made up of 100
or so passionate Chick-fil-A Fans,
the “Chicken Pack” travels to
as many Chick-fil-A Restaurant
openings as possible vying to be
among the first 100 customers in
line who receive free Chick-fil-A
B Combo Meals for a year.
C | Through its Leadership
Scholarship program, Chick-fil-A
has offered nearly $23 million in
financial assistance to 22,000-
plus restaurant employees
who have attended 2138
colleges, universities and
other educational institutions
throughout the country.
D | Through Truett Cathy’s
WinShape Homes® foster
care program, more than 130
children who were victims of
circumstance now have nurturing
homes in which to grow and
mature.
C
D
13. Community. Loyalty. Influence.
Creating community and building leaders is important to Chick-fil-A . When a
®
Chick-fil-A franchised Operator opens a Store, we don’t just think of it as a Restaurant
serving delicious quick-service food. We also think of it as a chance to interact, build
community and engage with customers and the community-at-large.
We do this in a variety of ways. First and foremost, we strive to provide 2nd Mile Service
to each customer. As we work to continuously improve, we want customers to experience
something unique. We want to build community and create relationships between our
customers and our food, people and Restaurants.
As each new Chick-fil-A Restaurant opens, we let the community know we are coming,
hoping to build excitement with our First 100 program. Guests who line up and camp out
overnight and become one of the First 100 customers to experience the Grand Opening
of our new Stores win a free Combo Meal each week for a year. John Boiles, a University
of Texas student, heard about the First 100 promotion and started organizing carpools
for fellow students. Boiles and his friends now travel around the region as their schedules
permit. Calling themselves the “Chicken Pack,” they even have a Web site. “I’ll have to
admit the chance for $250 worth of free food got me hooked on this,” says John. “But it
became a lot of fun and a chance to be together with my friends.”
Believing that leadership is not limited to the confines of the Chick-fil-A chain, Truett
Cathy has made it a priority to develop future leaders among America’s youth, primarily
through college scholarships. Qualified team members employed at Chick-fil-A Restaurant
businesses who are attending college or technical school are eligible to be nominated for
our Leadership Scholarship as well as the S. Truett Cathy Scholar Award.
Another primary example of the Cathy family’s commitment to
developing and inspiring leaders is the WinShape Foundation,
created in 1984 by Truett and Jeannette Cathy. The Cathys
original vision to encourage outstanding young people has
greatly expanded over the last 20 years. The WinShape
Foundation now supports a family of growing programs,
all driven by the same mission of shaping winners. The
foundation supports the WinShape College Program , SM
WinShape Camps , WinShape Homes®, WinShape
SM
Wilderness , WinShape International , WinShape Retreat , and Winshape Marriage .
SM SM SM SM
As we strive to continuously improve, we want customers to experience
something unique. We want to build community and create relationships
between our customers and our food, people and Restaurants.
Beyond the WinShape Foundation initiatives, Chick-fil-A’s franchised Restaurant Operators
build leaders and influence their communities as they see fit. Whether it is sponsoring
youth sports teams or supporting educational activities or leadership initiatives, Chick-fil-A
is pleased to be a part of your community, wherever we are.
14. Our Commitment to
Service...and Success
As Chick-fil-A® continues
to achieve its mission “to be
America’s best quick-service
restaurant,” our numbers
continue to climb. The chain
surpassed $2 billion in sales
in 2006, resulting in a little
celebration at the Chick-fil-A,
Inc. corporate office.
20. Officers and Directors
S. Truett Cathy Dan T. Cathy Donald M. “Bubba” Cathy
Founder, Chairman and President and Senior Vice President
Chief Executive Officer Chief Operating Officer Chick-fil-A, Inc. and
Chick-fil-A, Inc. Chick-fil-A, Inc. President, Dwarf House, Inc.
James B. “Buck” McCabe
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Philip A. Barrett B. Lynn Chastain Kelly D. Ludwick
Vice President, Controller Vice President and Assistant Director, Corporate Legal
General Counsel, Real Estate Legal
Roger E. Blythe, Jr. Kimberly M. McMillian
Vice President, Business Analysis Michael E. Erbrick Director of Financial Services, Corporate
Senior Director
Tim Boggs Restaurant Information Systems Sandi T. Moody
Director of Administration Senior Director, Business Analysis
Kevin R. Fannin
Mark L. Brackett Director, Corporate Services S. Tammy Pearson
Senior Director, Corporate Information Senior Director and Associate
Systems Michael S. Garrison General Counsel, Corporate Legal
Senior Director, Information Technology
Janet Bridges Client Services Brent Ragsdale
Director of Financial Services, Treasury Senior Director, Financial Consulting
Glenn H. Hewitt
Jonathan B. Bridges Director, Tax Accounting H. Allen Smith
Vice President, Information Technology Senior Director, Financial Planning
and Chief Information Officer Betty Hoffman
Director, Tax Accounting Dan Strain
Kathy Buckley Director, Corporate Information Systems
Director of Financial Services Donna W. Kirbow
Senior Director of Financial Services Chris Taylor
Saleitha L. Champion Director, Technical Architecture &
Director of Financial Services, Restaurants Operations
Steve A. Robinson
Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer
Thomas E. Childers William F. “Woody” Faulk Clifford T. Robinson
Director, Menu Management Vice President, Brand Development Senior Director, Store Marketing
David B. Farmer Donald A. Perry Barry V. White
Senior Director, Quality & Vice President, PR and Publicity Vice President, Sales Development
Customer Experience
25. Company History
1946 • Truett Cathy opens the “Dwarf Grill” (later renamed
The Dwarf House®) in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville.
1963 • After a second restaurant burns in 1960, Truett starts over and
invents the chicken sandwich.
1967 • First Chick-fil-A® in-mall Restaurant opens in Atlanta’s
Greenbriar Mall.
1977 • Freshly squeezed Chick-fil-A® Lemonade introduced.
1982 • Chick-fil-A is the first restaurant chain to sell chicken nuggets nationally.
1984 • Truett and Jeannette Cathy start the WinShape Centre Foundation to
provide permanent homes and summer programs for foster children.
1985 • Chick-fil-A Waffle Potato Fries® and Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips®
introduced.
1986 • First free-standing Chick-fil-A Restaurant
opens on North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta, Georgia.
1987 • Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meal introduced.
1992 • Chick-fil-A expands to college campuses, including Georgia Tech
and Clemson University, with first brand licensing agreements.
1993 • First hospital Restaurant opens at Georgia
Baptist Medical Center (now Atlanta Medical
Center)
1995 • Eat Mor Chikin® Cow campaign debuts to great
success.
1996 • Truett’s Grill opens in Morrow, Georgia in
celebration of Truett Cathy’s 50th year in the
restaurant business.
• First airport location opens at Atlanta’s
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
• Chick-fil-A announces a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the Peach Bowl –
becoming the bowl’s first-ever title sponsor.
