From a small Southern diner, Chick-fil-A grew into the US’s third-largest restaurant chain

From Dwarf Grill to Chick-fil-A

Truett Cathy opened the Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia, in 1946. The roadside diner served familiar dishes such as breakfast, burgers, waffles, sandwiches, steak and potatoes, and its Hot Brown casserole. The original restaurant later became one of the chain’s “Dwarf Houses.” Chick-fil-A’s first restaurant under that name opened at Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall in 1967, as the company began with mall locations.

A wider range of locations

Chick-fil-A opened its first stand-alone restaurant in Atlanta in 1986. Free-standing sites are now common, while mall restaurants are much less so. In 1993, the chain opened its first drive-thru-only restaurant in Greenville, South Carolina. Designed to serve customers more quickly and conveniently, these locations have no dining rooms.

A Southern chain expands

More than 3,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants now operate in North America. The company remains headquartered in Georgia and has restaurants in 48 states and Washington, DC. Its locations also extend to Canada, Puerto Rico, the UK, and Singapore. The chain is widely regarded as a Southern fast-food brand despite its broader reach.

Changing menus and branding

Chick-fil-A’s early menu included diner staples, while its breakfast options have evolved. The first addition to the breakfast menu was the Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit, introduced in 1986. The chain once described itself with the tagline “The best thing that ever happened to a Chicken.” Its current slogan highlights its chicken sandwich, and the “A” in Chick-fil-A refers both to “fillet” and to the company’s description of its chicken as grade-A quality.

Chick-fil-A initially used a chicken as its mascot. The “Eat Mor Chikin” slogan and its rebel cows appeared on an Atlanta billboard in 1995, according to the company.

Public controversy in 2012

In 2012, Chick-fil-A faced widespread backlash after then-CEO Dan Cathy, Truett Cathy’s son, publicly opposed same-sex marriage. The company and its foundation also faced criticism over donations to organizations with anti-LGBTQ+ positions.