MAIN Pop Culture Fast Food Chick-fil-A

Beloved by cows everywhere, Chick-fil-A positions itself as the alternative to everyday fast food beef burgers.

Best known for its tasty Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, the company also continues to grow its corporate nest egg by offering good old-fashioned southern hospitallity and first-rate service with a smile.

Now an annual tradition, the July Cow Appreciation Day promotion offers Chick-fil-A customers who wear cow costumes free entrees from their menu all day.

A traditional site at US shopping malls, free-standing stores and drive-thrus, Chick-fil-a restraurants have spung up from coast to coast, and remains one of the few fast food chains still privately held and family owned after 40 years in operation.

Founded by a devout southern Baptist, Chick-fil-A also remains the only fast food operation to remain closed on Sundays.

Chick-fil-A history

Originally founded in 1949 as the "Dwarf Grill" by owner Truet Cathy in Hapeville, Georgia, the restaurant later evolved a decade later into Chick-fil-A, offering the world's first boneless breast chicken sandwich. The sandwich proved so popular that throughout the 60's, Chick-fil-A expanded with locations in Atlanta and throughout Georgia as a winning alternative to everyday fast food.

Today, the Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A operation has steadily grown to become the second largest (after Kentucky Fried Chicken) quick service chicken chain in the United States, boasting 1,400 locations in 37 states with annual sales of more than $2 billion.

Exemplary customer service has been a mainstay of company growth, thanks to owner Truet Cathy's belief in the notion of hiring only customer service-minded employees and hands-on managers who can stand and deliver with a smile.

Among the many humorous ad campaigns have responded to over the years, the most famous and enduring is the famously grateful herd of cows who wear placards urging customers to please "EAT MOR CHIKIN". In recent years, the Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich has also inspired something of a cult Internet following, reflected in Chick-fil-A's enviable position as the most popular fast food restaurant on Facebook, with over 1 million loyal fans.

In addition, their drive-thru operations continues to best the competition in service industry magazine QSR's annual contest, with Chick-fil-A winning six out of the seven last annual polls for best order accuracy, menu board appearance, and speaker clarity.

Owing to its strong southern presence, Chick-fil-A has been the sponsor of the annual college football Peach Bowl since 1997, and is a major sponsor of the SEC, ACC, and Big 12 conferences of college athletics.

Same-sex marriage controversy

Beginning in the early 2000's, the WinShape Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Truett and his wife, began making donations (that eventually reached in the millions of dollars) to anti-gay same-sex marriage groups.

By 2012, the company's official statements on the subject became more vocal as it upheld the idea of the traditional family -- resulting in public outrage by the LGBT community and protests at various store locations.

In response, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee initiated a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day movement to counter a boycott. On August 1, 2012 Chick-fil-A restaurants experienced a large show of public support across the nation with the company reporting record-breaking sales for that day.

Since then, the company has softened its stance somewhat, publicly stating that it will curtail donations to organizations with strictly political affiliations, and further adding that they "will treat every person equally, regardless of sexual orientation."

Chick-fil-A menu

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich, Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich, w/lettuce and tomato, Chick-Fil-A Club Sandwich, Chick-Fil-A Nuggets, Chick-Fil-A Chick-n-Strips, Caesar Chicken Cool Wraps, Spicy Chicken Cool Wraps, Chargrilled Chicken Cool Wraps, Chicken Caesar Cool Wrap Combo, Spicy Chicken Cool Wrap Combo, Char-grilled Chicken Cool Wrap Combo, Chick-Fil-A Club Sandwich Combo

Salads

Chick-Fil-A Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad, Tossed Salad, Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad, Chick-Fil-A Chargrilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Fries with that?

Waffle potato fries, carrot & raisin fries, cole slaw

Breakfast menu

Biscuits, Biscuit w/Gravy, Biscuit w/Bacon, Biscuit w/Sausage, Biscuit w/Bacon & Egg, Biscuit w/Bacon, Egg & Cheese, Biscuit w/Sausage & Egg, Biscuit w/Sausage, Egg & Cheese, Hash Brown Potatoes, Breakfast Platter w/Bacon, Platter w/Chick-Fil-A Platter w/Sausage

Desserts

Hand-Spun Milkshakes, Ice Dream, lemon pie, cheesecake, fudge nut brownie

Beverages

Lemonade, iced tea, Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, coffee, orange juice

More about Chick-Fil-A around the Web:

Chick-fil-A.com - The official site, featuring the complete menu and nutrition guide, restaurant locator and online ordering, company information and sponsered programs and charities, FAQ, press news.

Cow Appreciation Day - Annual Chick-fil-A summer promotion offering free chicken to any customer dressed like a cow, with a downloadable costume kit available in PDF format.

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich Recipe - A reasonable facsimile of the real chicken sandwich with complete ingredients and instructions.

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