It all started in 1946, when Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant, The Dwarf Grill, in Hapeville, Georgia. Credited with inventing Chick-fil-A’s boneless breast of chicken sandwich, Mr. Cathy founded Chick-fil-A, Inc. in the early 1960s and pioneered the establishment of restaurants in shopping malls with the opening of the first Chick-fil-A Restaurant at a mall in suburban Atlanta in 1967. Since then, Chick-fil-A has steadily grown to become the second largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States, with over 1,615 locations in 39 states and Washington, D.C. In 2011, annual sales were over $4.1 billion. Chick-fil-A is still privately held and family owned.
Dan Cathy: Biblical Principles contribute to success
“But as an organization we can operate on biblical principles. So that is what we claim to be. [We are] based on biblical principles, asking God and pleading with God to give us wisdom on decisions we make about people and the programs and partnerships we have. And He has blessed us.”
When asked if Chick-fil-A’s success is attributed to biblical values, Cathy quickly said, “I think they’re inseparable. God wants to give us wisdom to make good decisions and choices.” Quoting James 1:5, he spoke of how often he asks God for wisdom.
Official Dan Cathy Statement on supporting Traditional Family
Some have opposed the company’s support of the traditional family. “Well, guilty as charged,” said Cathy when asked about the company’s position.
“We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that…We operate as a family business … our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that,” Cathy emphasized. “We intend to stay the course,” he said. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.” (‘Guilty as charged,’ Chick-fil-A’s stand on biblical & family values)
Business establishments cannot be blocked because of owner’s beliefs
David Cortman, an attorney with the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), said a restaurant cannot be blocked from opening because of the restaurant’s or the owner’s beliefs. “It absolutely is not constitutional,” Cortman told Baptist Press. “And I think the irony here is that they are claiming this is an issue of freedom and civil rights, but they’re actually the ones who would be violating the civil rights of Chick-fil-A not to allow them to open up their business simply because of their views.” (Politicians can’t legally block Chick-Fil-A)
Companies supporting Homosexual, and Bisexual behavior
This year especially, Chick-fil-A’s stance on traditional values stands out. In June, General Mills — whose products include Cheerios, Pillsbury and Green Giant vegetables — announced that it is opposing a Minnesota constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Voters will decide the issue in November. Also in June, Nabisco’s Oreo brand posted on Facebook a picture of an Oreo cookie with six colorful layers representing the gay pride rainbow. The caption: “Proudly support love!” Target has sold gay pride T-shirts this year and recently began selling greeting cards with gay marriage themes. And JC Penney has placed pictures of gay dads in its catalogue. (Chick-fil-A, in nat’l media storm, swims against cultural tide)
Those against God’s Law:
Please utilize the following information to express your concerns to these individuals and organizations. Remember that a polite, well informed letter or phone conversation is much more apt to persuade! If you would like an example of a sample letter speaking out against the sin of homosexuality (with scripture to back up the stance), please click: Sexual Morality Today
- Aaron McQuade, Director of News and Field Media at GLAAD Los Angeles, 5455 Wilshire Blvd, #1500, Los Angeles, CA 90036 – Phone: (323) 933-2240 – Contact: http://www.glaad.org/contact
- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/mayor.html - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoMayorsOffice
- Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (Menino declaring in a letter to Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy, “There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it.”) – http://www.cityofboston.gov/mayor - Telephone: 617.635.4500 – Email: mayor@cityofboston.gov
- San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee: http://www.sfmayor.org/- Contact Mayor Lee: http://www.sfmayor.org/index.aspx?page=7 – Telephone: (415) 554-6141 – Email: mayoredwinlee@sfgov.org
- The Human Rights Campaign — the nation’s largest gay activist group — posted a Chick-fil-A logo on its website with a fake tagline, “We Didn’t Invent Discrimination. We Just Support It.”
- Change.org, a social activism site, demanding that universities across the country remove existing Chick-fil-A restaurants or prevent new ones from opening.
