Chick-Fil-A

Selling Chicken with a side of GOD

A Positive Ethical Organization

Chasity Wilson
10-13-2015

Chick-fil-A: Selling Chicken with a side of GOD
WHAT DISTINGUISHES AN ETHICAL COMPANY?
We as Americans tend to focus on companies unethical behavior, lapses of judgement, corporate misconduct or the methods corporations may use to hide unethical business practices from the public view this process leads to national scrutiny. We seldom recognize an organization that displays positive-intentional ethic behaviors that are defined as acceptable by the American people.
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the ethical standards of the fast food chain Chick-Fil-A and determine if the company establishes a code of ethics. The Webster Dictionary defines ethics as following accepted rules of personal and professional behavior. It is prescribed philosophy dealing with questions of what is good and what is bad combined with moral duty and obligation, the principles of moral behavior governing an individual or group. By implementing a standard of ethical behavior, as a business, the restaurant chain Chick-Fil-A in my opinion exemplifies a living code of ethics as a cognitive, affective, and behavior manifestation of an ethical organization. In your opinion has Chick-Fil-A set a new standard for a positive ethical organization and does the concept of ethics and integrity have a deeper meaning that what the dictionary definition provides?
Chick-fil-A (chick-fil-ay, a play on the US pronunciation of "fillet") is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Georgia, specializing in chicken sandwiches. It was founded in 1946 by S. Truett Cathy. Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant, The Dwarf Grill – later renamed the Dwarf House – in Hapeville, Georgia in 1946, and developed the pressure-cooked chicken breast sandwich there. At the original Chick-fil-A Dwarf Grill, in addition to the full-size entrances, there is also an extra small-sized front door. The original Dwarf House in Hapeville, Georgia is open 24 hours a day, six days a week, except on Sundays. The store closes at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday nights and reopens at 6 a.m. on Monday mornings. It has a larger dine-in menu than the other Dwarf House locations as well as an animated seven dwarf’s display in the back of the restaurant. Truett's original, full-service restaurants offer an extensive menu, and provide customers a choice of table service, walk-up counter service or a drive-thru window. Thirteen Chick-fil-A Dwarf House restaurants currently operate in the metro Atlanta area. The restaurant chain operates more than 1,850 restaurants, mainly in the southeastern United States. Chick-Fil-A is the top chicken fast food chain in the United States. In 1961, after 15 years in the fast food business, Cathy found a pressure-fryer that could cook the chicken sandwich in the same amount of time it took to cook a fast-food hamburger. Following this discovery, he registered the name Chick-fil-A, Inc. The company's current trademarked slogan, "We Didn't Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich," refers to their flagship menu-item, the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. The first shopping mall Chick-fil-A opened in 1967, in the food court of the Greenbrier Mall, in a suburb of Atlanta. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the chain expanded by opening new franchises in suburban malls' food courts. The first freestanding franchise was opened in 1986, and the company began to focus more on this type of franchise than on the food court type. Although it has expanded outward from its original geographic base, most new restaurants are located in Southern suburban areas. As of 2012, the chain has approximately 1000 stand-alone locations it also has 32 drive-through-only locations. Chick-fil-A also can be found at universities, hospitals, and airports through licensing agreements. The Company has announced that it will open a three-story, 5,000-square-foot restaurant in Manhattan on October 3; this will become the largest free-standing Chick-fil-A in the country.
S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-Fil-A was a dedicated Southern Baptist. When establishing his national restaurant chain he incorporated his religious beliefs in the company and those beliefs have had a major impact on the company since the beginning both positively and negatively. Cathy states as the final step in his Five-Step recipe for Business Success "I was not so committed to financial success that I was willing to abandon my principles and priorities.Cathy's religious beliefs are also responsible for one of the chain's most distinctive features: all Chick-fil-A locations (corporate owned and franchised) are closed on Sundays, as well as on Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The company's official statement of corporate policy states that the business exists "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A” and Cathy has been quoted when asked about the company’s decision to close on Sundays “We are very much supportive of the family-the biblical definition of the family. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that…we know that it might not be popular with everyone…” In an interview with ABC News's Nightline, Truett's son Dan T. Cathy told reporter Vicki Mabrey that the company is also closed on Sundays because "by the time Sunday came, he was just worn out. And Sunday was not a big trading day, anyway, at the time. So he was closed that first Sunday and we've been closed ever since. He figured if he didn't like working on Sundays, his employees did not want to work on Sundays either and he encouraged his employees to spend time with their families and attend the church of their choice.” The younger Cathy also quoted his father as saying, "I don't want to ask people to do what I am not willing to do myself."
For years now since Chick-Fil-A has opened its doors Mr. Cathy has applied “biblically-based principles” to their business management processes and they continue to do so and the company is closed on Sundays to encourage family time and give all employees the opportunity to attend church. Because of their Biblical-based values Chick-Fil-A has publicly spoke out again same-sex marriage and has endured much media scrutiny. Due to recent national media attention Chick-Fil-A issued a statement on July 19, 2012 informing its customers that “going forward our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political parties” and its tradition is “to treat every person with honor, dignity, and respect-regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.”
Cathy’s statement would not have been noticed if it were to come from any pulpit in America. But because this statement was made by a New Testament, Bible-believing businessman of faith, Cathy’s statement stood out and caused a media frenzy. In comparison where was the national outrage when Rev. Jeremiah Wright made his infamous statement, “_______ _______the United States” when he used the Lord’s name in vain. Freedom of speech has been redefined considering who makes the statement and ethics has a new definition. Mr. Cathy did not make a targeted statement against those who participate, or support gay marriage. He affirmed his personal support for traditional marriage and his concern that God would punish a nation that does not adhere to the biblical definition of marriage. Mr. Cathy appropriately exercised his 1st Amendment rights.
In January 2011, the media reported that Chick-fil-A was co-sponsoring a marriage conference with the Pennsylvania Family Institute (PFI), an organization that has opposed same-sex marriage legislation. Chick-fil-A clarified that "one of our independent Restaurant Operators in Pennsylvania was asked to provide sandwiches to two Art of Marriage video seminars." The Winshape Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Truett and his wife, also stated it would not allow same-sex couples to participate in its marriage retreats. In the wake of Mr. Cathy’s statement Chick-Fil-A’s ratings have plummeted across the nation. Prior to his statement Chick-Fil-A’s approval rating was 65, well above the Top National Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Sector average of 46. After the statement was made the index score dropped to 39. It is interesting to realize Chick-Fil-A has experienced record sales from their 1600 stores nationwide and sales continue to increase even after Mr. Cathy’s controversial statement. In 2012, Chick-Fil-A Chief operating officer Dan T. Cathy made several public statements about same-sex marriage, saying those who “have the audacity to define what marriage is all about” were “inviting God’s judgement on our nation.” Several prominent politicians expressed disapproval and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said he hoped to stop franchise expansion in his area. The proposed bans drew criticism from liberal pundits, legal experts, and the American Civil Liberties Union. The Jim Henson Company, which had a Pajanimals kid’s meal toy licensing arrangement with Chick-Fil-A, said it would cease its business relationship, and donate the payment to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Chick-Fil-A immediately stopped distributing the toys, citing unrelated safety concerns that had arisen prior to the controversy. Chick-Fil-A released a statement on July 31, 2012 saying, “We are a restaurant company focused on food, service, and hospitality; our intent is to leave the policy debate over same sex marriage to the government and political arena”. In response to the controversy a Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day movement was held to counter a boycott of Chick-Fil-A launched by same-sex marriage activists. More than 600,000 people RSVP on Facebook for the appreciation event. On August 1, 2012 restaurants experienced a large show of public support across the nation with the company breaking record sales. It was reported that sales were 29.9 percent more that Wednesday than on a typical Wednesday. Because of the entire media backlash Chick-Fil-A released a letter titled Chick-Fil-A, Who we are. For many months now, Chick-Fil-A corporate giving has been mischaracterized. And while our sincere intent has been to remain out of this political and social debate, events from Chicago this week have once again resulted in questions around our giving. For that reason, we want to provide some context and clarity around who we are, what we believe and our priorities in relation to corporate giving.
A part of our corporate commitment is to be responsible stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. Because of this commitment, Chick-Fil-A’s giving heritage is focused on. Programs that educate youth, strengthen families and enrich marriages, and support communities. We will continue to focus our giving in those areas. Our intent is not to support political or social agendas. As we have stated, the Chick-Fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect—regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1850 restaurants run by Independent Owner/Operators. For a better understanding of our corporate giving, please see the below document titled “Chick-Fil-A: Who We Are”
Chick-Fil-A: Who we are
Chick-Fil-A is a family-owned and family-led company dedicated to serving the communities in which we operate. From the day Truett Cathy started the company, he began applying biblically-based principles to managing his business. For example, we believe that we are stronger because of such principles as closing on Sundays, going the extra mile in service, treating others as we want to be treated, and devoting a percentage of profits back to our communities. Those same principles have been applied throughout the history of Chick-Fil-A and still apply today. The Chick-Fil-A culture and 66-year service tradition in our locally owned and operated restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity, and respect-regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We are a restaurant company focused on food, service and hospitality; our intent is not to engage in political or social debates. There are many diverse viewpoints and opinions among these associated with Chick-Fil-A, including our Independent Owners/Operators and their team members, Chick-Fil-A corporate staff, suppliers and business partners. Chick-Fil-A and the Cathy family, who own the company, value and respect all of these differences. If someone in Chick-Fil-A offers a personal viewpoint, they do not presume to speak for everyone. Chick-Fil-A is built and sustained by long-term, enduring relationships, with our operators, our staff, our business partners, our suppliers, community organizations we support, and –most importantly –our customers. In Chick-Fil-A, we have a foundational commitment to service—service to our customers, service to our Owner/Operators and their team members, and service to our communities. This begins in the restaurant—one customers at a time. We firmly believe in treating ever person who comes through our doors with honor, dignity, and respect. We teach this to everyone who comes to work at Chick-Fil-A, and it is something that they take with them throughout their careers—whether they choose to stay with Chick-Fil-A or go on to other promising careers. We also make a commitment to taking care of people who take care of our communities. For example, for giving sandwiches first responders in times of crisis, we honor the commitment they make to serve all of us. And our philanthropic giving reinforces that commitment to service by helping children and families in need. This is what makes us who we are. Just like Jesus was rejected by the world and endured its hostility, believers are called to endure the world’s rejection and hostility as well: “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you…because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world-therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you ‘Servants are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know who sent me.” (John 15:18-21 NRSV)
The lesson to be learned here is to recognize through our circumstances Jesus wants to motivate believers to lay aside concern for the opinion of unbelievers so they will be free to persevere in their commitment to God through Jesus. In the face of the world’s hostility it is all the more essential that the believers pursue unity within the community of faith, just as Jesus and the Father enjoy unity with one another. Despite the world’s hostility and anticipated rejection, Chick-Fil-A has embraced their platform to go out into the world and witness.
By exemplifying Christ Chick-Fil-A will continue to point the world to God by their service to the community which replaces any human status seeking, and as believers, fulfill the great commission ‘one chicken sandwich at a time.’

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