The primary goal of any business is to earn a profit. To do this, a business needs to be open so that sales can be consummated. As much as possible, they open 7 days a week so that more people would come in and more sales can be made. This principle, however, does not apply at Chick-fil-A.
Every Sunday, you cannot expect a Chick-fil-A branch to open. Why? Because the late founder of the billion-dollar fast-food chain Samuel Truett Cathy wanted to make sure to give employees a break on Sunday.
Following the Biblical principle behind God’s creation, where God rested on the 7th day, Samuel Truett Cathy insisted on closing the restaurant on the 7th day after working for six days.This was the decision he made since he opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant back in 1946.
During an interview with The 700 Club, the late Cathy has said that they don’t see any conflict “between Biblical principles and good business practice.” He added that “the Bible tells us so much on how to operate a business… After you work 24 hours a day for 6 days… you need a break.”
Chick-Fil-A Founder S. Truett Cathy appears on The 700 Club
In this classic 700 Club clip, Chick-Fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy sits down with Pat Robertson to talk about his restaurant – and making a better chicken sandwich. Cathy died in September 2014 at the age of 93.
In the last 70 years, Chick-fil-A rose up to become America’s most favorite fast-food restaurant. Some people would question their profits for closing on Sundays, but the current Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, stated that whenever they would allow their employees to take time off, they always return to work with a lot of enthusiasm and vigor.
“If we can let [employees] kind of take some time off and live and breathe, they come in with a lot more enthusiasm on Monday – plus a little bit more on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” said Cathy during an interview with Atlanta’s WSB-TV.
Cathy then added that what they’re doing “more than offsets the fact that they close everything down on Sundays.” He also said that this may defy the logic of an accountant but it has worked great for them.
Cathy said that he, along with his siblings, have signed a covenant with their father/founder that they would not open on Sundays. He elaborated that his father didn’t like the idea of asking other people to do something which he was not willing to do.