JONESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Thousands of people attended a public funeral on Wednesday for Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy, the fast food mogul who rose from poverty to build a chain famous for its boneless chicken sandwich and for closing on Sundays.
Cathy died Monday at age 93. His grandson, Andrew Cathy, was one of several speakers who shared memories of him at First Baptist Church in Jonesboro.
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He opened his first postwar diner in an Atlanta suburb in 1946 and by 1967 he had founded and opened his first Chick-fil-A Inc. restaurant in Atlanta.
Over ensuing decades, the chain’s boneless chicken sandwich he is credited with inventing would propel Chick-fil-A expansion to more than 1,800 outlets in 39 states and the nation’s capital.
By early 2013, the company says on its website, annual sales topped $5 billion as the chain offered up a taste of the South that went beyond chicken to such offerings as sweet tea, biscuits and gravy. The company has reported 46 consecutive years of growth.
Under the religiously conservative founder, the chain gained prominence for its Bible Belt observance of Sunday. None of its hundreds of restaurants are open on that day, to allow employees a day of rest.
The chain’s executives often said the restaurants make as much money in six days as its competitors do in seven.
