Chick-fil-A Lays An Egg With Believers
In 1946, Truett Cathy and his brother Ben opened The Dwarf House, originally called The Dwarf Grill, in Hapeville, Georgia. Then, in the 1960’s Cathy perfected his boneless chicken sandwich. In 1967, the first Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in the food court of the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta.
By the end of 2024, there were 3,109 locations across 48 states, Washington D.C., Canada, and Puerto Rico. There are no restaurants in Alaska, Hawaii, or Vermont. Of those restaurants, 2,684 are traditional franchised locations, and the remaining 425 are licensed stores in airports, universities, etc.
Since its inception, Cathy and his followers have integrated Christian values into Chick-fil-A’s corporate identity. This commitment is evident in the longstanding tradition of closing on Sundays, a practice established in 1946 as a reflection of Cathy’s Christian faith. It allows employees to have a day for rest, family, and worship, honoring religious principles and promoting work-life balance. This practice has become a core component of the brand’s identity.
On June 16th, 2012, during an interview on “The Ken Coleman Show” radio program, Dan Cathy Truett Cathy’s son stated that he believed the nation was “inviting God’s judgment” by redefining marriage.
A month later, on July 2nd, in an interview with the Baptist Press, when asked about the company’s support for the traditional family unit, Dan Cathy responded, “Well, guilty as charged.”
These comments ignited a national controversy, leading to both boycotts and “appreciation day” support events, with gay marriage activists declaring war on the company and Christians rallying to support the firm.
Recently, the culture at Chick-fil-A has undergone significant changes. The company no longer donates to the Salvation Army or the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, changes that occurred after getting pressure from far-left groups. Additionally, they allocated funds to an organization that hosts drag queen story hours. Furthermore, Chick-fil-A stirred controversy when it hired a vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
In Utah, a franchise shared photos on its Facebook page celebrating the marriage of two men, complete with images of the joyful grooms.
Family Research Council called out Chick-fil-A, accusing the company of duplicity, writing in the Washington Stand:
“More than anything, what should frustrate loyal customers is that — unlike the secular corporations that promoted this agenda for decades without apology — Chick-fil-A built a business model based almost entirely on faith. And frankly, that means they should be held to a higher standard. Yes, there are local operators with diverse objectives and opinions, but for the sake of the company’s broader character, those individual franchises should be held to a moral code that reflects Chick-fil-A’s stated beliefs. At the very least, the vice president of DEI should be reassigned to support the Cathys’ original mission, and the cancer of diversity, equity, and inclusion should be eradicated from headquarters.”
“Unlike Target or Anheuser-Busch, this company intentionally made religion a part of the chain’s identity. So, it’s a point of legitimate hurt and disappointment that this company keeps profiting from its Christian reputation, only to turn around and sell out those same values.”
“Americans expect that from Nike. They expect it from Starbucks. They believed Chick-fil-A was different, and they continue to be wrong.”
Governor Mike Huckabee stated that leading a nationwide campaign to support Chick-fil-A is his biggest regret.
“They’ve bought into the lie,” Huckabee told Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on an episode of “Washington Watch” when the company decided to hire a vice president for DEI in 2023.
“I don’t know any other way to say it. I can’t be polite about it, because there’s no way to say, ‘Oh, they’re just trying to stay out of harm’s way.’ No, they have injected themselves into the diversity, equity, and inclusion model. They’ve hired someone to be their vice president of DEI. And when a company does that, what they are basically saying is — ‘We want to be able to sit at the cool kids’ table. … We don’t want to be over there by ourselves anymore. We don’t want people to make fun of us or point their fingers at us.’”
Some loyal customers are now wondering if Chick-fil-A’s traditional values were simply a marketing ploy to endear themselves to Christians under false pretense. Personally, I don’t believe that. Truett Cathy honored those beliefs his entire life; he passed away in 2014 at the age of 93.
His son, Dan, became CEO in 2013 and passed the CEO role to his son, Andrew, in 2021. Whether or not Andrew Cathy is responsible for this change is irrelevant. The core values of a great restaurant chain have changed, and in a day and age where Christianity is under attack, Chick-fil-A is no longer the beacon of family values that many loved as much or more than their chicken sandwiches.
