Chick-fil-A CEO Pledged to Father To Uphold Christian Values and Stay Closed on Sundays
Chick-fil-A has always been a family-owned, privately held company known for serving delicious chicken meals with a heartwarming side dish of hospitality.
As leadership responsibilities of one of the nation’s largest fast-food chains passed from father to son, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy promised his father that the company’s founding values would remain the same.
According to Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy’s autobiography, “Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People,” the Cathy family gathered around the dinner table in 2000 and spoke openly about the future of the company.
It will likely become the nation’s third-largest fast-food chain next year, but don’t expect Chick-fil-A to be open on Sundays anytime soon: CEO says he promised his dad he’d uphold Christian values and stay closed on Sundays. https://t.co/uLLbNBAIAH
— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) August 15, 2019
Truett’s three children — Dan, Bubba and Trudy — purposefully invited their parents to dinner that night to present them with a written covenant, laying out the future intentions for the company their parents had built by hand.
In writing, the Cathy children promised to uphold the company’s longstanding policies of keeping the company private, remaining closed on Sundays and continuing its philanthropic work.
“We will be faithful to Christ’s lordship in our lives,” the covenant began, as reported by Insider. “As committed Christians we will live a life of selfless devotion to His calling in our lives.”
“We will prayerfully seek His leadership in all major decisions that impact our family and others. Our family roles as spouses to our lifelong mates, parents to our children, and loving aunts and uncles will be our priority.”
Chick-fil-A to become 3rd largest fast-food chain in US sales amid growing popularity https://t.co/kz8pjZNANs
— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) May 9, 2019
The official Chick-fil-A website states in an informational video that “Closing on Sunday is a practice established by our Founder Truett Cathy that we still hold to today.”
The company has reaped the reward of slow and patient growth, expanding at a conservative pace since its inception in 1946. In May 2019, Chick-fil-A — despite being closed on Sundays — became the 3rd largest fast-food chain in the U.S.
While remaining closed on Sundays is a general rule, Chick-fil-A managers know that rules are made to be broken when the occasion calls for it.
The company has been known to open up the kitchen on a Sunday in rare cases — for example, to give a boy who was battling a brain tumor his favorite meal the day before brain surgery.
A Chick-fil-A in Alabama opened its doors to throw a birthday party for a 14-year-old boy with cerebral palsy and autism, also on a Sunday.
Relationship over always following the rules has benefited the chicken restaurant, which continues to enjoy expansive growth within the U.S. and will soon open its first international location in Toronto, Canada.
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