I started a solid relationship with Chick-fil-A at a very young age. For as long as I can remember it has been my fast-food restaurant of choice. From ages 6-12 Chick-fil-A was the Friday lunch at the end of every week of vacation bible school. I can remember on the way to a family camping trip wanting to listen to cassette tapes containing different character lessons that I had received in my kid’s meals. From ages 6-18 Chick-fil-A was the family dinner when my family was going in five different directions. For the last four years, Chick-fil-A has been the place where my boyfriend and I eat our last meal before departing for Christmas break or the summer. From a very young age Chick-fil-A has played a vital role in my life, not just because one of my favorite foods is a chicken nugget, but also because the corporation stands for more than just good fast food. They stand for a Christian lifestyle.
In 1946, Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia, called the Dwarf Grill. In the early 1960s, Cathy founded Chick-fil-A, Inc. and pioneered the establishment of restaurants in shopping malls. The first Chick-fil-A opened in 1967 at Greenbrier Mall in suburban Atlanta. Since then, Chick-fil-A has steadily grown to become the second largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States, with more than 1,550 locations in 38 states and Washington, D.C., and annual sales of more than $2.9 billion. Chick-fil-A is still privately held and family owned. Since the very beginning all Chick-fil-A units have been closed on Sunday’s. Cathy believed in giving himself and his employees time to worship and be with their family. (Chick-fil-A.com)
“Our decision to close on Sunday was our way of honoring God and directing our attention to things more important than the business. If it took seven days to make a living with a restaurant, then we needed to be in some other line of work. Through the years, I have never wavered from that position.” – S. Truett Cathy
In 1984 Truett Cathy and his wife began the WinShape Foundation in association with Chick-fil-A. The foundation was created to help “shape winners” and build leaders among youth. The WinShape Foundation supports a variety of programs including, college programs, foster care, retreats, summer camps, marriage retreats, and scholarship programs. The foster care homes are group homes where children are provided a permanent home with two loving full-time parents, summer camp, and a college education if they choose. The first home was established in 1987 in Mt. Berry, Georgia. Part of the WinShape Foundation core belief is that you can't be a good parent unless your marriage is strong, which is why the WinShape Retreat for marriage enrichment was born as a high-end retreat on the Mountain Campus of Berry College. “"The father is the chief executive officer of the greatest institute in the world: the family. Make Sunday family day instead of going to play golf or watch football. What we need today are some good, stable marriages, and the most important thing you can give to children is your time," Cathy said.
Chick-fil-A credits its success to its core values and its focus on developing leaders. Chick-fil-A Leadercast is a global gathering of leaders with one purpose in mind: to develop leaders at all levels, positions, and stages. Ten of the world’s best leaders speak on their leadership principles. May 7, 2010 will mark a ten year milestone of this global leadership event. The goal of the event is to inspire and develop leaders to make a lasting impact on the lives of those they lead. Chick-fil-A is passionate about supporting organizations' and individuals' efforts to grow their leadership potential. This event will be live in Atlanta, but will be aired at 500 Leadercast locations across North America. Chick-fil-A Leadercast wants to make a lasting impact on the participants, and wants them to be catalysts for change. The organizers of Leadercast believe that this leadership conference is valuable because it will engage all of the participant’s senses and provide a truly experiential day of leadership training. They expect that every person that invests a day at the conference will leave feeling energized and inspired.
Chick-fil-A does not just sponsor events and foundations to better the world morally, they also sponsor events to build brand recognition. In 1998 Chick-fil-A became the title sponsor for the Peach Bowl, an annual college football bowl game. In 2006, Chick-fil-A bought five years of rights to the name of the bowl, so it became the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The funds from the Chick-fil-A naming rights contract is used to increase payouts for attending teams and hopefully boost attendance and stature of the bowl game. The bowl has sold out for eleven consecutive years, making it the most attended non-BCS bowl in the last decade. The game was also the highest-rated ESPN broadcast bowl game of 2007-2008, higher than even the two New Year's Day bowls – the Cotton Bowl and the Gator Bowl. The Chick-fil-A Bowl is one of three bowls to receive an NCAA grant for the Youth Football Program, and the game endows a $100,000 scholarship at each participating university annually. The current payout for the Chick-fil-A Bowl is $3,250,000.
Chick-fil-A has done a phenomenal job of building their brand. As seen clearly through a highlight of just three ways they are involved in the community, Chick-fil-A values its customers and wants to change the world. From my experience and understanding of Chick-fil-A, I would not say that this is their Corporate Social Responsibility; I would call this their Faith-Based Practice.
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