Chick-fil-A: Encyclopedia - Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is a quick-service restaurant chain, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia that specializes in chicken entrees. The second-largest chicken-based quick-service chain in the United States, Chick-fil-A is best-known for its chicken sandwiches, in both pressure-cooked or fried and grilled versions. It also offers chicken nuggets, chicken wraps, chicken strips, and salads as well as a breakfast menu featuring biscuits optionally filled with chicken, bacon, sausage, and eggs. The chain is associated with the southern United States, but it has in recent years been expanding into the southwest and the midwest. As of May, 2005, the chain has over 1200 locations, mostly franchised, in 36 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Chick-fil-A has historically been most closely identified with shopping malls: the majority of its locations are in malls. However, in recent years, most of its growth has been in freestanding units with sit-down and drive-through service and as of 2004 the chain has over 460 such units. It also has drive-through-only locations, and has placed its restaurants in universities, hospitals, and airports through licensing agreements.

The chain grew from the Dwarf Grill (later the Dwarf House, a name still used by the chain), a restaurant opened by S. Truett Cathy, who is still the company's chairman, in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville in 1946. The first Chick-fil-A opened in an Atlanta mall in 1967.

Cathy is a devout Christian, and his religious beliefs permeate the company to this day. The company's official mission statement says that the business exists to glorify God and positively influence all who come in contact with the company. The chain invests heavily in community services (especially for children and teenagers) and scholarships. Cathy's beliefs are also responsible for one of the chain's distinctive features: All Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays.

Chick-fil-A achieved quite a bit of notability in June 2004, when it was publicly announced in a major ad campaign that a new store, opening in Waxahachie, Texas, on July 1, would offer, to the first 100 to enter its doors, coupons for a free combo meal every week for a year. Along with this promotion (which was widely featured on the Internet), the company threw a huge opening day carnival, complete with karaoke, free ice cream, klieg lights, and prize raffles.

Since 1997, the Atlanta-based company has been the title sponsor of the Peach Bowl, an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta. Beginning in the 2006 season, the Peach Bowl will become the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Also, it has given donations to local Christian, Evangelical, Methodist, and Baptist churches and communities.

Chick-fil-A - EAT MOR CHIKIN

"EAT MOR CHIKIN" is the chain's most prominent advertising slogan, often seen in advertisements featuring sign-wearing bovines. According to Chick-fil-A's advertising strategies, the cows have united in an effort to reform American food, in an effort to reduce the amount of beef which is eaten. They wish the American public to refrain from eating beef burgers as are common at Chick-fil-A's competitors, such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's, and instead focus on eating chicken, or "chikin", as the "cows" have spelled it. Supposedly, cows have a more phonetic way of spelling. The ad campaign was temporarily halted during a mad cow disease scare in late 2003/early 2004 so as not to make the chain seem insensitive or appear to be taking advantage of the scare to increase its sales. The cows replaced the chain's old mascot, Doodles, an anthropomorphized chicken.

Sometimes, these billboards incorporate a little bit of local color or local inside jokes. One such example showed up in Knoxville, Tennessee during 2003. The billboard was located along Interstate 40 in the West Hills neighborhood and featured an orange (instead of white) background with traffic cones and a cow wearing a safety vest. The text on the billboard read, "CHIKIN ZONE NEXT 3000 MILES," an obvious reference to the lengthy and expensive construction projects that have been the bane of Knoxville motorists since the early 1970s.

The company also produces annual coupon-bearing "cow calendars" every year, featuring bovines in various hilarious parodies that have included "The Cow Channel", "Cow Superheroes", and "Cows in Shining Armor".

Chick-fil-A - Dwarf House

The Chick-fil-A Dwarf House is a full-service variation to the typical Chick-fil-A fast-food restaurant. In addition to the full-service dining area, Dwarf Houses also have the a normal fast-food service area as well as a drive-thru. The menu at a Dwarf House is similar to the normal menu. However, surprising to many loyal "Eat-mor-chikin" supporters, the menu at a Chick-fil-A Dwarf House contains a option to buy a Steakburger and/or Hamburger.

One notable difference of the Chick-fil-A Dwarf House is the novelty "Dwarf-sized" front door that children and some adults can use to enter if they so choose.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Chick-fil-A", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki