Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Formerly
  • Dwarf Grill
  • Dwarf House
Company typePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
FoundedMay 23, 1946; 78 years ago (1946-05-23) in Hapeville, Georgia, U.S.
FounderS. Truett Cathy
Headquarters5200 Buffington Road, Atlanta, Georgia,
United States
Number of locations
3,059[1]
Area served
  • United States (including Puerto Rico)
  • Canada
  • Singapore
  • United Kingdom
Key people
ProductsChicken sandwiches, chicken dishes
RevenueIncreaseUS$21.6 billion (2023)[2][3]
OwnerCathy family
Number of employees
35,574 as of August 2021[4]
Websitechick-fil-a.com
chick-fil-a.ca
chick-fil-a.pr

Chick-fil-A, Inc. (/ˌtʃɪkfɪˈleɪ/ CHIK-fil-AY, a play on the American English pronunciation of "filet") is an American fast food restaurant chain and the largest chain specializing in chicken sandwiches.[5] Headquartered in College Park, Georgia, Chick-fil-A operates 3,059 restaurants across 48 states, as well as in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.[1][6] The company also has operations in Canada, and previously had restaurants in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The restaurant has a breakfast menu, as well as a lunch and dinner menu. The chain also provides catering services.[7] Chick-fil-A calls its specialty the "original chicken sandwich". It is a piece of deep-fried breaded boneless chicken breast served on a toasted bun with two slices of dill pickle, or with lettuce, tomato, and cheese.[8]

Many of the company's values are influenced by the Christian religious beliefs of its late founder, S. Truett Cathy (1921–2014), a devout Southern Baptist. Reflecting a commitment to Sunday Sabbatarianism, all Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed for business on Sundays,[9][10] Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.[11] During the Western Christian liturgical season of Lent, Chick-fil-A promotes fish sandwiches, following the Christian tradition of abstinence from meat during Lent.[12][13] The company's conservative opposition to same-sex marriage has caused controversy; the company began to loosen its stance on this issue from 2019.[14] Despite numerous controversies and boycott attempts, the 2022 American Customer Satisfaction Index found that Chick-fil-A remained the country's favorite fast food chain for the eighth consecutive year, and it has the highest per store sales of any fast food chain in the nation.[15][16]

  1. ^ a b "Number of Chick-Fil-A locations in the United States". ScrapeHero. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  2. ^ [1] Archived September 17, 2021, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Ravneberg, Christi (June 25, 2019). "Inside Chick-fil-A's rise to 3rd-largest restaurant brand". Nations Restaurant News. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  4. ^ <!-not stated--> (n.d.). "Chick-fil-a about-us". Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Ravneberg, Christi (June 25, 2019). "Dominating the chicken market". Nations Restaurant News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  6. ^ Beile, Kelly Anne (March 8, 2018). "Hurry to Chick-fil-A now for free breakfast". KFOX-TV. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  7. ^ "Chick-fil-A Operator Website - Home Page". www.cfarestaurant.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  8. ^ "Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich". Chick-fil-A. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Piepenbring, Dan (April 13, 2018). "Chick-fil-A's Creepy Infiltration of New York City". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018 – via www.newyorker.com.
  10. ^ Adkins, Cooper (November 6, 2019). "New Kanye West album shocks listeners". The Georgetonian. CXXXVIV (20): 8.
  11. ^ "About Chick-fil-A". Chick-fil-A. Archived from the original on January 11, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  12. ^ Meyer, Zlati (March 7, 2019). "Chick-fil-A serves up fish sandwiches for Lent, now through April 20". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  13. ^ Puhak, Janine (March 3, 2020). "Chick-fil-A brings back limited-edition fish sandwich for Lent". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  14. ^ Heil, Emily (November 18, 2019). "Chick-fil-A drops donations that angered LGBTQ groups, and conservative leaders cry betrayal". The Washington Post.
  15. ^ "Chick-fil-A Beats the Boycott The restaurant chain remains the most popular in America, despite political attacks". The Wall Street Journal. July 5, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  16. ^ "2023 QSR top 30 list of fast food chains by per-unit sales - Retail Watchers". www.retailwatchers.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.