This morning we lost a great business man. Truett Cathy was the founder of Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A sponsors the Winshape program at Berry College. When I was a sophomore at Berry, I got to hear Truett speak and shake his hand. But what strikes me about him is how he operated his business, a franchise of fast food Chicken restaurants that I didn't even know existed until I was in high school and now are spread all over the Southeastern United States and nearly nationally.
- Take care of your employees. Your employees interact with your customer. Take care of your employees and they will take care of your customer. Samantha interviewed with Chick-Fil-A. Their philosophy was to invest in their employees. The benefits, childcare, pay, and training they give to their employees and managers is top notch for the industry.
- Generously give. Give scholarships, sponsor events, give discounts, give people free food. I'll never forget last January when we had the snowpocalypse and Chick-Fil-A was providing free dinner, shelter, and breakfast to stranded motorists.
- Go the extra mile. Whether it's the "it's my pleasure" at the checkout, the clean high chairs with folded placemats, the employee refilling drinks at your table, or visits from the cow, Chick-Fil-A lives out going above and beyond what is necessary. They go the extra mile for their customers.
- Family is number one. Chick-Fil-A is one of the most kid friendly restaurants ever. For years, we had the same waitress checking on drinks for our family. She would always talk to the kids. She felt like family and I was always glad to see her there.
- Stand by your convictions. Chick-Fil-A is known for two controversal things. First, they don't open on Sundays. I swear every time I want Chick-Fil-A, it's a Sunday. But somehow, I always manage to visit them later in the week. They do seven days of business in six because they don't want to compromise worship and rest by chasing every dollar. Second, they support a Christian view on marriage. They don't want to exercise their religious freedom by limiting the families they serve or the people they hire. But it is well known they are owned by a family that has strong Christian values and they don't compromise their values for the sake of seeking more business. And it doesn't stop people from coming to order chicken sandwiches.
Truett operated his business from a Christian perspective that values people above profits and others above self. And he taught his family, employees, and customers like me to do the same.