The History of Chick-fil-A, My Pleasure!

Published: March 5, 2020, 1:16 a.m.

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\\nWho doesn\\u2019t love Chick-fil-A? Their raging popularity has me convinced that there aren\\u2019t many who don\\u2019t enjoy their chicken. The history of Chick-fil-A is fascinating. It all starts at a little known restaurant in Fayetteville, GA.
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\\nDwarf Grill
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\\nThe history of Chick-fil-A is fascinating. It all started with S. Truett Cathy and a little restaurant called the Dwarf Grill. This was Cathy\\u2019s first restaurant venture. He opened right next to a Ford production plant in 1946 and enjoyed the constant stream of patrons. Dwarf Grill was renamed to Dwarf House and it has held that name ever since. 
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\\nThis is a special restaurant in the history of Chick-fil-A. This is where Cathy developed and tested his original chicken sandwich. You can still find the chicken sandwich on their menu today. However, that is where the similarities end. 
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\\nThe Dwarf House is a diner that is open 24 hours a day six days a week. They serve classic menu items like burgers, fries, collard greens, Mac and cheese, coconut ice box pie and a hot brown. They say if you have to ask what a hot brown is, you need to try one. 
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\\nIt is a unique and special restaurant. They have a strong family vibe. Cathy used to say people would come to the restaurant when they weren\\u2019t hungry just because they needed comfort. There are a few customers that have been coming around so often over the years that they are truly considered family. These few people have been given access to the coveted blue menu by the Cathy family. 
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\\nThe blue menu allows a person to enjoy 1946 prices in today\\u2019s world. This means you can get a hamburger for 15 cents or a steak plate for 65 cents. Incredible!
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\\nAfter tremendous success with the Dwarf House restaurant, Cathy opened the very first Chick-fil-A in 1967. The rest is, as they say, history.
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\\nS. Truett Cathy
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\\nS. Truett Cathy is the founder of Chick-fil-A. He has a tremendous story that took him from Dwarf House to a major chicken empire. Cathy died September 8, 2014 at the age of 93. He had a passion for family focused life, a heart for his employees and a profound love for his customers. 
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\\nA Humble Start Selling Coca-Cola
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\\nFrom a very young age it was clear that Cathy had the entrepreneurial spark. At the age of 8 he sold Coca-Cola door to door. He\\u2019d buy a six pack for 25 cents and then sell them for 5 cents each. One of his neighbors would sit on her porch drinking Coca-Cola, but she wasn\\u2019t drinking one of his Cokes. He had to find a way to add value to his product to convince her to buy from him. 
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\\nOne day she suggested that he chill his Cokes and then she\\u2019d buy. He shaved some ice off his mother\\u2019s icebox to chill the Cokes. He had many people, including his neighbor, lining up to buy his product. This was where he learned the joy that comes from making customers happy. This was a lesson that became very important to the history of Chick-fil-A.
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\\nLessons Learned Slinging Papers
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\\nAs a teenager, Cathy had a job delivering papers. He said that he treated each paper like he was delivering it to the governor\\u2019s mansion. He wanted to make sure they never had to dig through the bushes to find their paper. It is incredible that a teen would have that work ethic. Many teens would simply get the job done. That attention to detail set Cathy apart.
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\\nWhen he opened Dwarf House with his brother, they continued that focus on the customer. He often said they built their business and made friends at the same time. They tried to meet the needs of their customers whenever they could. 
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