Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy dies

S. Truett Cathy, the unashamed Christian founder of Chick-fil-A, died this morning at his home in Atlanta. He was 93.

Cathy is credited with inventing Chick-fil-A’s signature chicken sandwich in 1961, when a company that cooked boneless, skinless chicken for airline meals wanted to sell him pieces that were too big for the airline customer’s needs. He sold the sandwich at his Atlanta restaurant, The Dwarf House, and opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in 1967, also in Atlanta. This started a 46-year climb to the heights of the fast-food business. The company claims to have had positive sales growth in every year of its existence.

Cathy said his business plan was simple: keep debt to a minimum, expand cautiously, be courteous, and keep the menu basic. From food critics to customers, people who ate Cathy’s chicken almost universally agreed how good it was.

Though known for attracting long lines of loyal customers, Chick-fil-A was also known for remembering the Sabbath. None of the chain’s more than 1,800 restaurants are open Sundays.

“Thankful to God for the generous life and courageous Christian example of S. Truett Cathy … a life well lived,” tweeted Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who noted that Cathy was a former member of the SBTS Foundation and a “faithful Southern Baptist statesman and churchman.”

The Cathy family’s commitment to its faith put it at the center of controversy in 2012 after CEO Dan Cathy, Truett Cathy’s son, said he was “guilty as charged” for believing in a biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. Gay activists across the country protested outside Chick-fil-A restaurants and called for boycotts of the fast-food chain, but two years later, the controversy has died down and people are still lining up for chicken sandwiches.

Cathy grew up in poverty and channeled his sympathy for underprivileged children into philanthropic support for scholarships and youth homes. His own children now run the family business, and they have a contract with Cathy stating they may sell the company, but it can never go public.

Cathy is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jeannette McNeil Cathy; sons Dan T. and Don “Bubba” Cathy; daughter Trudy Cathy White; 19 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren, according to a company statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.