The Complete History of Chick-fil-A

Most American fast-food chains were built by ambitious entrepreneurs chasing the post-war highway boom. Chick-fil-A was built by a Baptist Sunday-school teacher who refused to open on Sunday, invented a sandwich that didn’t exist, and grew his diner into the most-loved fast-food brand in the country — without ever taking the company public. This is the full story of how that happened.

The Chick-fil-A you know in 2026 — with its drive-thrus that move 300 cars an hour and its franchise applications that are harder to get into than Harvard — started in a single 24-hour diner in Hapeville, Georgia, with 10 stools and a counter.

1946: The Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia

S. Truett Cathy and his brother Ben opened the Dwarf Grill on May 23, 1946, on a $10,600 loan in a tiny building near the Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Hapeville, just south of Atlanta. The diner had ten counter stools and four tables. It was open 24 hours a day, six days a week — and closed on Sunday from day one. That decision, made when Truett was 25, has never changed. We dig into the full story behind it in our piece on why Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday.

The Dwarf Grill served burgers, steaks, and breakfast. The chicken sandwich didn’t exist yet.

1961: Inventing the boneless chicken sandwich

In the late 1950s, Truett was experimenting with a deboned chicken breast. He bought up surplus chicken from Goode Brothers Poultry — pieces too big for the airline industry — and started seasoning, breading, and pressure-cooking them in a Henny Penny machine borrowed from a salesman. By 1961, he had the formula: a salted, pickle-brined chicken breast, breaded with seasoned flour, pressure-cooked in peanut oil, and served on a buttered bun with two pickles.

He called it the Chick-fil-A sandwich. The “A” stood for “top quality” — Grade A. The sandwich predated the McDonald’s chicken sandwich by more than two decades. To this day, the recipe and process are largely unchanged — we break it down in how Chick-fil-A makes their chicken.

1967: First Chick-fil-A in a mall

The first official Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in the food court of the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta on April 16, 1967. Truett bet correctly that suburban malls were the future, and for the next two decades nearly every Chick-fil-A was a mall location. By 1986, there were over 300 stores — almost all of them in food courts. Our mall vs. standalone analysis shows how that legacy still shapes the brand today.

A timeline of Chick-fil-A milestones from 1946 to 2026 — *Eight decades, one sandwich, three thousand restaurants.*

1986: The first standalone restaurant

The first freestanding Chick-fil-A with a drive-thru opened in 1986 on North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta. It was a turning point. Mall traffic was about to peak; suburban car culture was about to explode. By the early 2000s, standalone stores would dramatically outpace mall locations in revenue and growth.

1995: “Eat Mor Chikin” — the cows arrive

In 1995, Atlanta agency The Richards Group debuted three Holstein cows holding up a banner reading “Eat Mor Chikin” on a billboard. The campaign was supposed to run for one season. Thirty years later, the cows are still the brand’s spokes-creatures, appearing on calendars (which used to be a hot trade item) and at events. Madison Avenue calls it one of the most effective fast-food campaigns ever made.

2003: First billion-dollar year

Chick-fil-A crossed $1 billion in annual sales for the first time in 2003. There were 1,128 restaurants. The chain had been growing 14% a year — every year — for over a decade.

2014: Surpassing KFC

In 2014, Chick-fil-A’s per-store sales surpassed KFC’s in the United States despite having less than a quarter as many locations. By the end of 2014, Chick-fil-A was the largest chicken-focused fast-food chain in America by total revenue. It hasn’t lost that crown since.

2014–2020: The Cathy family transition

Truett Cathy died in 2014 at age 93. Leadership passed to his son Dan Cathy as CEO, with grandson Andrew Cathy taking over as CEO in 2021. The chain remains family-owned and privately held — see is Chick-fil-A publicly traded for the ownership structure and who owns Chick-fil-A for the family tree.

2018: The Manhattan flagship

In October 2018, Chick-fil-A opened a four-story, 12,000 sq ft flagship in midtown Manhattan — the largest Chick-fil-A in the world. The line on opening day wrapped four city blocks. We profile it in Chick-fil-A in New York — Manhattan flagship.

2019–2024: The sandwich wars and Drive-thru dominance

When Popeyes launched their chicken sandwich in August 2019, the internet declared war. Chick-fil-A responded with a single tweet — “Bun + Chicken + Pickles = ❤️” — and let the operations speak for themselves. By 2024, Chick-fil-A’s per-store revenue was nearly $9 million on average, more than triple McDonald’s. We have a full ranking in our Popeyes vs. KFC comparison.

2025–2026: International expansion

After decades of being U.S.-only (plus a tiny Canadian outpost), Chick-fil-A is expanding internationally — see our breakdown of international locations and the new 2026 openings.

The numbers today

3,100+ restaurants in 48 states and 5 international markets
$22+ billion in annual systemwide sales
$9M average per-store sales — the highest in fast food
~30% acceptance rate for franchise applications (lower than Stanford)
Closed Sunday, always

Quick FAQ

Is Chick-fil-A older than McDonald’s? The Dwarf Grill (1946) predates the first McDonald’s (1948), but McDonald’s franchising started earlier.

Is the company still family-owned? Yes — see who owns Chick-fil-A.

Why is it called Chick-fil-A? “Chick” for chicken, “fil” for fillet, “A” for top quality (Grade A).

Keep going

Loved this guide? Get the real menu data.

Live prices, calories, allergens and the hours of the location closest to you.

Browse the menu Find Chick-fil-A near me