goBeyondProfit, a first-of-its-kind business leader initiative that highlights corporate generosity, today announced it has honored Georgia-based Chick-fil-A as a winner of the goBeyondProfit champion award for 2022.

Chick-fil-A and its Chairman Dan Cathy were nominated and selected for this award by fellow Georgia business leaders because of the organization’s success in consistently executing with care and generosity in the little things, those meaningful daily moments of service valued by Chick-fil-A culture across decades of generosity. Dan’s late father, Chick-fil-A Founder S. Truett Cathy, opened his first local restaurant in 1946 and the first Chick-fil-A in 1967.

“We have a mission statement to be the world's most caring company. What does it mean to be the world's most caring company? We know that really, it's the subtleties of a lot of behaviors that consistently happen all over the organization, embodied by leaders, lived out by leaders,” says Dan Cathy. “That leadership ripples throughout the whole organization, so that customers in drive-thru lines, in our dining rooms, and other places feel cared for through a lot of little things that we do.”

“goBeyondProfit Champion award winners like Chick-fil-A and Dan Cathy demonstrate exemplary leadership,” said goBeyondProfit President Megan McCamey. “They offer a road map for excellence in business generosity from daily operations to the contributions they make to improve the lives of everyone that comes in contact with their company.” 

Past award winners include Gas South, Creature Comforts Brewing, H.J. Russell & Company, Aflac, W&A Engineering, Cox Enterprises, and Herschend Enterprises.

In an interview with goBeyondProfit, Dan Cathy shares insights into how Chick-fil-A has developed and nurtured a culture of generosity and care. See the full interview here: www.gobeyondprofit.org/champion

“So I say to business leaders, let's run successful businesses. We need it. Employees that work for us, they're depending upon us leading successful businesses,” says Cathy. “But let's also do it with enough meaning and purpose and significance to know that we can also be [as part of] the marketplace, one of the great institutions to reinvest back into the community for the overall health our society.”

Chick-fil-A, with more than 2,700 restaurants across 47 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada, was nominated for a legacy of generosity, brought to life in the simple, everyday actions of its people. From the original Dwarf House in 1946 to your neighborhood drive-thru, thoughtful, heartfelt customer service is everyone’s responsibility, regardless of title or job description. Whether it’s treating customers like friends or serving the needs of the wider community, kindness is seen as a higher calling at Chick-fil-A. 

Notable highlights include:

• Dan Cathy’s work to help revitalize Atlanta’s Historic Westside neighborhood, including involving various Chick-fil-A staff to assist with marketing, real estate and legal needs of the project. 

• Through the annual Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Awards, local restaurant operators nominate nonprofits in their communities to receive grants ranging from $50,000 to $350,000. Since 2015, more than $12 million has been awarded to honored nonprofits.

• Since 1970, Chick-fil-A has helped more than 80,000 restaurant Team Members further their education with more than $136 million in scholarships.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chick-fil-A continued to step up for its people, partners, customers and communities. Across the country, local restaurant operators supported testing and vaccination sites with their drive-thru expertise and “my pleasure” attitude, helping ensure care for those in need. 

Additionally, Chick-fil-A dedicated all of its 2021 community grants program to support Black-led nonprofits focused on education, hunger, and homelessness in communities of color.