Chick-Fil-A Does Business With Religious Conviction

Truett Cathy is perhaps as famous for his sandwich as he is for his beliefs. While many CEOs check their religion at the door, Truett Cathy didn't make that choice. "This just happens to be my faith," he says. But it's a faith so strong, so unwavering, that Truett put it right into the company's mission statement, etched in bronze at the company headquarters: To Honor God.

Chick-Fil-A Fast Facts

Company Description: Chick-fil-A, Inc., is one of the largest privately held restaurant chains, with more than 1,340 locations in 37 states and Washington, D.C., and the second-largest, quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the nation, based on annual sales.­­ Mission Statement: “Be America’s Best Quick-Service Restaurant” Sales: Chain-wide sales in 2006 reached $2.275 billion. These figures reflect a 15.16 percent increase over the chain’s 2005 performance and a same-store sales increase of 8.52 percent.  Innovative Concepts: Mall/In-Line Restaurants — Recognized as the pioneer in quick-service mall food, Chick-fil-A still considers mall-based Restaurants to be an integral part of its business. Approximately 375 major shopping mall Restaurants are in operation today. Executive Committee: S. Truett Cathy, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan T. Cathy, President and Chief Operating Officer Donald M. “Bubba” Cathy, Senior Vice President Bureon Ledbetter, Jr., Senior Vice President and General Counsel James “Buck” McCabe, Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer Perry Ragsdale, Senior Vice President, Design and Construction Steve Robinson, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer Timothy Tassopoulos, Senior Vice President, Operations Headquarters:    Chick-fil-A, Inc. 5200 Buffington Road Atlanta, GA 30349-2998 [phone]

And there are other reminders too — bells toll every 15 minutes, Proverbs are displayed on the walls, and every Monday morning, there is a voluntary prayer service for employees.

Customers, though, may never know the company's ties to Christianity. There are no mentions of God or religion in any Chick-Fil-A restaurant. But Biblical principles are ingrained in every one of its workers who, after rigorous screening, are hired for more than just their talent.

"We're looking for our right fit as it relates to character," Dan Cathy said. "We want people to know how to operate with a sense of where true north is for their own personal lives."

And while some people may hear the word "fit" and think it's code language for "Christian," Cathy said that is not the case.

"Certainly the word 'fit' is certainly not a code word, you know, for Christianity," he said. "But it certainly is a code word, you know, for character and chemistry and confidence. And that's what we're looking for in Chick-Fil-A."

That’s what attracted Melissa Winkfield to Chick-Fil-A 14 years ago. She started as an hourly worker and stayed because the company’s beliefs are her beliefs. Now, she runs the top grossing Chick-Fil-A in the Atlanta market. The company and its workers are like family, she says.

"Jocelyn here is one of my managers back here, going to school right now," Winfield said of one of her employees who is studying to be a medical assistant. "She's definitely looking to improve and move on up."

Winkfield's knowledge of her employees outside the work environment may seem intrusive to some, but for Chick-Fil-A, it's good business, fostering employee loyalty that keeps turnover rates of hourly workers among the lowest in fast food: just 3 percent versus the industry's 50 percent average.

And the loyalty goes both ways. 70 percent of Chick-Fil-A's restaurant operators started as hourly workers. Helping many of them make the leap to manager is the company'slow capital requirement up front — just $5,000. Chick-Fil-A owns the restaurant and the land, and in turn gets a cut of sales and profits. For winkfield, it was an opportunity that changed her life.
 
But not everyone is a believer in mixing business and the Bible. We’ve found that since 1988 there have been a dozen lawsuits against Chick-Fil-A or its operators alleging employment discrimination.

The company says not all of those claims involved religious discrimination, and that as a corporation with more than 50,000 employees, a few lawsuits are to be expected. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which handles discrimination claims told CNBC that being uncomfortable isn't enough to constitute unlawful harassment.
"You're talking about conduct that is hostile and demeaning and is so severe and pervasive that reasonable people would think 'ooh, this creates a hostile environment," said EEOC Assistant Legal Counsel Diana Johnston.

The EEOC has not filed any formal complaints against Chick-Fil-A, and for its part, Chick-Fil-A says making everyone feel welcome goes beyond the law — it's the Christian thing to do.

CONTINUED : Creating a comfortable atmosphere

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