Chick-fil-A: Selling Chicken With a Side of God

[cbayer]

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/09/chick-fil-a-selling-chicken-with-a-side-of-god/379776/

S. Truett Cathy, the chain's late founder, consistently made business choices based on his Christian beliefs—and turned a humble sandwich into a religious symbol.


David/Flickr

EMMA GREEN
SEP 8 2014, 1:54 PM ET

In visiting Chick-fil-A's headquarters, which are tucked among the trees on a large plot of wooded land outside of Atlanta, the first thing you'll probably notice, as I did when I visited in the fall of 2011, is the Jesus statue. It's probably three or four feet tall and depicts Jesus washing the feet of a disciple—"a symbol of servant leadership," said a spokesperson. Other religious artwork is on display in the large atrium at the entrance of the building, including Bible quotes and crosses. There is also a fleet of pristine, extremely expensive-looking cars, with a row of model T's and a reproduction of the Batmobile.

This combination of Christian symbolism and display of extreme wealth is a fitting metaphor for the way S. Truett Cathy, the company's late founder, ran his company. Since he opened his first chicken-sandwich stand in an Atlanta mall in 1967, Cathy openly incorporated Christianity into his business, from putting Bible quotes on the styrofoam sweet-tea cups to closing the entire chain on Sundays. He has also made billions of dollars, which explains the decorative sports cars.

On Monday, Cathy died at the age of 93. He was involved in the day-to-day operations of the company well into his 80s; his son Dan is now the president and chairman. Before he died, he created a contract with his children stating that the company should never go public; theoretically, transferring ownership out of the family could jeopardize the business's overtly religious mission statement "to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us" and "to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."

In 2012, the company was involved in a controversy over its donations to organizations that opposed gay marriage and advocated the passage of Proposition 8 in California, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. At the time, Cathy's son, Dan, told the Baptist Press that Chick-fil-A was unashamed of its opposition to same-sex marriage and support of "traditional family values": "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."

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[AtheistCrusader]

1. Never understood the hubub.

I ate there once, about 10 years ago when travelling on business. (Boss loved sending me because I used very little per diem, eating cheap crap at whatever place, when other engineers went for steak and other bullshit)

It's 'mediocre' at best, and way too expensive for what you get. Basically the chicken side of the Arby's menu, and it tastes funny. They use some other sort of fat or oil to boil shit, than Arby's does.

Either way, not fit for human consumption.

[cbayer]

2. I never like it either, but I know people that do.

It was no problem at all for me to boycott.

But if it had been Popeye's, that would have been a completely different matter.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. I never much cared for popeyes either.

Most likely because I grew up on KFC. Whatever you know/is familiar, you stick with, mostly.

Same reason I prefer Ivar's to Spuds fish and chips. We always ate Ivars when I was a kid. Nothing wrong with 'Spuds.

[cbayer]

4. I grew up on KFC too, but Popeye's wins hands down.

But you have to get it in the south.

Never heard of Ivar's or Spuds, so there you go.

[AtheistCrusader]

5. They are both local to Seattle.

Really? We got a popeyes like... 4 miles from my house a couple years ago. I'd rather drive 15 to KFC.

(Not that I eat fried chicken much anymore. Hard enough keeping pounds off regardless)

[cbayer]

6. Not local, just a franchise.

And it is highly unlikely that they do it right.

But if you ever get to Louisiana, try it there.

It is one of the things I miss the most about the south.

[Brettongarcia]

7. Speculatively: his last name - "Cathy" - lead to some inner conflicts about "chick"s, or sex role?

An odd nexus of female names surrounding such a male may have induced a defensively exaggerated maleness in response. Or in other words, classic, an extreme homophobia.

In S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick fil-A, puns and childhood jokes on his last name would have been insufferable in his early childhood. Stemming from a desire to adamantly (/exaggeratedly) deny the problematic feminine affiliation implied first in his last name, "Cathy" probably experienced an early, acute crisis in establishing a stable gender role in his own mind (and public school).

Which is a major problem in psychosexual development, as Freud noted.