Chick-fil-A Celebrates 80 Years with New Menu, Contests
Chick-fil-A is having a milestone birthday this year. The restaurant chain founded by S. Truett Cathy is celebrating 80 years of faith, family and chicken sandwiches.
A yearlong nationwide celebration called “Newstalgia” will combine new menu items with a vintage twist designed to honor Chick-fil-A’s past. The campaign includes a line of collectible retro cups available for $3.99 each. Three thousand of them are golden fan cups, redeemable for a prize of free Chick-fil-A for a year. Each cup includes a hidden QR code and instructions for claiming the prize, which totals 52 entrées over 12 months. The contest is running nationwide through July 1, and the specialty cups are being randomly distributed across participating locations.
“This year marks more than an anniversary,” said Khalilah Cooper, vice president of brand strategy, advertising and media. “It’s a celebration of the memories, meals and meaningful moments that have brought people together at Chick-fil-A for generations. We have so much in store this year, firmly rooted in Chick-fil-A’s renowned quality, care, generosity and hospitality.”
READ: The faith of Truett Cathy
Cathy opened The Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Ga., in 1946. It was there that the now-famous chicken sandwich was conceived, ultimately leading to the opening of the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta in 1967. From a single diner to more than 3,000 restaurant locations across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and Singapore, the company has become one of the most successful family owned restaurant chains in the world.
The anniversary celebration will also bring new frosted sodas and floats to Chick-fil-A’s permanent menu, inspired by old-fashioned soda fountain drinks and made with the company’s signature frozen dairy dessert. For a limited time, the original Chick-fil-A sandwich will be served in retro packaging featuring vintage-style graphics pulled from the brand archives in another nod to the company’s roots.
Cathy, a devout Southern Baptist, built the company on biblical principles, including closing on Sundays to honor the sabbath. Over the years, the chain has weathered cultural backlash for its stance on traditional family values, but it remains one of the most loved — and most profitable– fast-food brands in the nation.
If you are the grand prize winner, you’re sure to put on a few extra pounds, but not as many as if you won another fast food chain contest. Chick-fil-A comes in at only the 10th most-unhealthy fast food chain. Wendy’s, Sonic, and Taco Bell were the top.
