Chick-fil-A CEO reaffirms commitment to closing on Sundays in national TV interview
Andrew Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A, recently went on the NBC “Today” show to explain how faith drives the family business that his grandfather founded and his father continued.
“My grandfather, my great uncle, Ben, when they started that little restaurant back in Atlanta, it was very common back in the 1940s that a lot of places were closed on Sunday,” he said, according to “The Christian Post.” “They had to do that. They wanted to have a chance to take a break, go to church and for others just to take some rest.”
The decision to stay closed on Sunday has endured because it’s central to Chick-fil-A’s core values.
“It was a company that was built on God, if you will, and that still seems to be very much a part of the DNA of Chick-fil-A,” Cathy said. “It is our anchor, in the sense of what our corporate purpose states, that we’re in business to be a glorifier of God.”
The corporate position of Chick-fil-A came under intense scrutiny in 2012 when Cathy’s father, then-CEO Dan Cathy, publicly stated the company’s opposition to gay marriage. Public documents later revealed that Chick-fil-A had donated millions of dollars to conservative Christian organizations whose biblical values ran contrary to the LGBT movement. When asked what he would say to those who protested or boycotted Chick-fil-A over the issue, Andrew Cathy focused on the brand’s trademark hospitality rather than revisiting the policy debate.
“For anybody that hasn’t tried us, we would love for you to come try us and have our great-tasting food and the hospitality that we’re known for,” he said. “Everybody that’s willing to walk in the door, they’re welcome to come eat with us. We would love to give them a great-tasting sandwich and great hospitality.”
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When pressed on Chick-fil-A’s official position on LGBT issues today, he redirected the conversation toward core business priorities. “We’re focused on hospitality,” he said. “Serving great-tasting food.”
In a separate CNBC interview, Cathy discussed how artificial intelligence potential could affect the company.
“We think about all these new things into the future, about how will people want to receive food in the future,” he said. “As you think about drone delivery and all the other kind of things that could be coming, it’s a fun time in the industry, to think about all the possibilities of what we can do to make a better experience for our guests.”
–Lee Hartman | Metro Voice
Photo: LinkedIn
