49 Fun Facts About Chick-fil-A

Truett Cathy's first restaurant, the 1946 Dwarf Grill, took its name from what?

The Dwarf Grill was named for its small size: the original 1946 diner had just ten stools and four tables. It later became the Dwarf House, and a few Dwarf House restaurants survive around metro Atlanta.

In which Atlanta suburb did Truett Cathy open his first restaurant in 1946?

Hapeville, beside Hartsfield-Jackson airport, was home to the 1946 Dwarf Grill, which drew much of its trade from the Ford assembly plant across the road.

The first restaurant under the chain's own name opened in an Atlanta mall food court in which year?

The first restaurant under the Chick-fil-A name opened in 1967 in an Atlanta mall food court; until then the sandwich had been licensed to other eateries, and those deals ended once the company had its own store.

The chain's first dedicated restaurant opened in the food court of which Atlanta mall?

Greenbriar Mall's food court housed the first Chick-fil-A restaurant; the store outlived the founder and closed in May 2023.

What is the capital 'A' at the end of the company name meant to signify?

The capital A stands for Grade A top-quality chicken; the 'fil' part plays on how Americans say 'filet', so the whole name is a boast about a top-grade chicken fillet.

What did Truett Cathy find in 1961 that cooked a chicken fillet as fast as a hamburger?

In 1961 Cathy found a pressure fryer that cooked a boneless chicken breast as fast as a hamburger patty, and he registered the Chick-fil-A name soon afterwards.

Between 1964 and 1967 the sandwich was licensed to over fifty other eateries, including which breakfast chain?

Waffle House, the Georgia-born breakfast chain, sold the sandwich under licence, as did concession stands at the brand-new Houston Astrodome, before the company pulled every outside licence to open its own restaurants.

The chain's first freestanding restaurant, on North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta, opened in which year?

The first freestanding Chick-fil-A opened in 1986 on North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta; for its first two decades the company had been almost entirely a mall food-court operation.

The company is headquartered in which Georgia city?

Chick-fil-A's headquarters, which the company calls the Support Center, sits on Buffington Road in College Park, just south of Atlanta near the airport.

On which day of the week is every restaurant in the chain closed?

Every Chick-fil-A closes on Sunday, a rule Truett Cathy set at his first diner in 1946 after years of working seven days a week in 24-hour restaurants.

Which advertising agency created the cows' 'Eat Mor Chikin' campaign?

The Richards Group of Dallas created the 'Eat Mor Chikin' cows and kept the account for about two decades before the chain moved its advertising in 2016.

The cows first painted 'Eat Mor Chikin' on an Atlanta billboard in which year?

The first 'Eat Mor Chikin' billboard went up in Atlanta in 1995: a three-dimensional sign with one cow standing on another's back to paint the message.

What breed of dairy cow stars in the chain's advertising?

The cows are black-and-white Holsteins, the classic dairy breed; on billboards and water towers they argue that people should eat chicken instead of them.

Which earlier chicken mascot hides in the logo's letter C?

Doodles, the company's chicken mascot from the 1960s, was worked into the logo: the flourish on top of the C is the bird's comb.

Why was the cow campaign temporarily halted on January 1, 2004?

The company did not want its cows to look as if they were cashing in on a food-safety panic; the ads returned a few months later.

After 22 years with the agency that invented the cows, the chain moved its advertising in 2016 to which agency?

McCann New York won the account in 2016 after the previous agency's 22-year run and kept the cows at the centre of the campaign.

The chain's flagship Original sandwich is cooked in 100 percent refined what?

Refined peanut oil is used for the chicken; refining removes the proteins that trigger most peanut allergies, which is why the company says the oil is safe for many allergy sufferers.

What garnish comes on the Original sandwich as standard?

Lettuce, tomato and cheese are add-ons for the deluxe version; the pickles are the only thing between the chicken and the buttered bun.

Truett Cathy famously claimed to have invented which menu staple in 1964?

Cathy said he invented the chicken sandwich in 1964, a boneless breast on a buttered bun, and the company trademarked 'We Didn't Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich', though chicken sandwiches existed earlier.

The chain's waffle-cut potato fries are cooked in which oil?

Chick-fil-A's waffle-cut fries are cooked in canola oil, not the oil used for the chicken, and are finished with a sprinkle of sea salt.

The chain's waffle-cut potato fries were first rolled out in which year?

Waffle Potato Fries joined the menu in 1985, nearly two decades after the chain's first restaurant opened, and became its signature side.

As of 2018, what was the single most-ordered item on the menu?

Waffle fries topped the chain's 2018 ranking of its most-ordered items; soft drinks came second and nuggets third, pushing the Original Chicken Sandwich down to fourth.

When nuggets debuted in 1982, they were sold as a box of how many pieces?

They were born because customers kept asking Operators to cut the sandwich chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Which of these dipping sauces was among the original trio introduced in 1984?

Polynesian, a sweet-and-sour sauce, arrived in 1984 alongside Honey Mustard and Barbeque as the chain's first three dipping sauces.

The chain's signature namesake dip, Chick-fil-A Sauce, joined the menu in which year?

Its smoky, tangy mustard flavour has been read as a mash-up of honey mustard and barbecue, and bottles reached supermarket shelves nationwide in 2021.

The chain's signature namesake sauce was invented in 1983 at a restaurant in which state?

Operator Hugh Fleming mixed up the sauce in 1983 at his Fredericksburg, Virginia restaurant; a sign at the Spotsylvania Towne Centre location claims the honour.

Which dip did customers order more than any other in 2024?

Chick-fil-A Sauce topped the chain's 2024 ranking of its dipping sauces, with Sweet & Spicy Sriracha finishing last of the seven.

In February 2023 the chain began testing its first meat-free sandwich, built around which vegetable?

A whole cauliflower floret, marinated, breaded and cooked like the chicken, was tested from February 2023 in Denver, Charleston and Greensboro as the chain's first plant-forward sandwich.

The chain has sponsored Atlanta's Peach Bowl college football game since which year?

Chick-fil-A became the Peach Bowl's title sponsor in 1997; the game dates to 1968 and joined the College Football Playoff's New Year's Six in 2014.

From 2006 to 2013 the Atlanta bowl game Chick-fil-A sponsors dropped 'Peach' and was officially called what?

The peach came back in 2014, the same year the game joined the College Football Playoff rotation.

The Peach Bowl was created in 1968 as a fundraiser for a project of which service organisation?

The Lions Clubs of Georgia created the bowl to raise money for the Georgia Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation; the first three games were played at Georgia Tech's Grant Field.

Since 2017 the Peach Bowl has been played at which Atlanta venue?

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with its eight-petal retractable roof, took over from the neighbouring Georgia Dome, which had hosted the bowl from 1992 until 2016.

The Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame opened in Atlanta in 2014 after leaving which city?

The hall sat in South Bend, Indiana, near Notre Dame, from the mid-1990s until 2012, then reopened in Atlanta in 2014 with Chick-fil-A as title sponsor and a 45-yard indoor field.

Which family member became the company's CEO in 2021?

Andrew Cathy, the founder's grandson, became CEO in November 2021, taking the company into its third generation of family leadership.

When the founder retired in November 2013, which son took over as both chairman and CEO?

Dan Cathy, the founder's elder son, became chairman and CEO in November 2013; he handed the CEO role on in late 2021 but stayed chairman of the board.

Which best describes the company's ownership?

The founder refused to take it public for religious and personal reasons, and the company builds and owns its restaurants itself.

In 2025, what initial investment did the company ask of a would-be franchisee?

Chick-fil-A asked just $10,000 from a would-be Operator in 2025 because the company keeps ownership of the restaurant; selection is highly competitive and training takes months.

What was the chain's average sales per location in 2024, the highest among major US fast-food chains?

It managed that with about 3,100 US locations against the burger giant's 13,500, and while shut one day a week.

By 2019 US sales, the chain ranked third, behind McDonald's and which other company?

With $11.3 billion in 2019 US sales, Chick-fil-A ranked third behind only McDonald's (about $40 billion) and Starbucks (about $21 billion).

As of 2024, how many US states had at least one of the chain's restaurants?

By 2024 Chick-fil-A had restaurants in 48 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico; only Alaska and Vermont had none.

Which country hosted the chain's first restaurant outside North America, opened in 1996?

South Africa hosted the first Chick-fil-A outside North America, in Durban in 1996; neither of its two restaurants there turned a profit and the venture was wound up within a few years.

In 2019 the chain returned to Europe with a restaurant at The Oracle shopping centre in which English town?

The Reading restaurant opened at The Oracle in October 2019 and lasted only until March 2020, when the mall's owners chose not to renew its six-month lease.

Chick-fil-A's 'my pleasure' catchphrase was inspired by an employee of what kind of business?

Truett Cathy heard 'my pleasure' from a Ritz-Carlton employee, and the high-end hotel's reply so struck him that he asked his own staff to use it in place of 'you're welcome'.

Which word completes the corporate purpose 'to glorify God by being a faithful ___'?

The word is 'steward': the corporate purpose, adopted in 1982, reads 'to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us', reflecting the founder's Southern Baptist faith.

Truett Cathy died at home in September 2014 at what age?

Truett Cathy was 93 when he died at home in September 2014, less than a year after retiring; he was born in Eatonton, Georgia in March 1921.

Which words complete the title of the founder's book 'It's Better to Build Boys Than ___'?

'It's Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men' drew on Cathy's five decades teaching a church class for teenage boys; his other titles include 'Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People'.

At 92 the founder opened a Fayetteville, Georgia restaurant inspired by his visits to which state?

Truett's Luau, opened in Fayetteville in 2013 when Cathy was 92, was inspired by his many trips to Hawaii and paired Hawaiian-style dishes with the usual chicken.

Which word completed the 'Eat More ___' shirts that drew a 2011 cease-and-desist from the company?

Vermont screen printer Bo Muller-Moore's 'Eat More Kale' shirts drew the 2011 demand; he fought it and won a federal trademark for the phrase in 2014.

Which fried-chicken chain's 2019 fillet sandwich launch, rivalling Chick-fil-A, kicked off the 'sandwich wars'?

Popeyes launched its chicken sandwich in August 2019 and sold out nationwide within two weeks, setting off a copycat rush across the industry.