"Chick-fil-A is taking over fast food, leapfrogging rivals to become the third-largest chain in the US and tripling annual sales over the past decade."

"The chain's business model is unique among its competitors — it's a family-owned company explicitly guided by Christian values."

"Instead of trying to figure out the company's 1983 financial plan, Chick-fil-A heir apparent Dan Cathy posed a bigger question. ""Why are we here?"""

"""To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."""

"Chick-fil-A created an army of ""Truett Cathy clones,"" true believers in the company's message of hospitality and fried chicken who spread this gospel of Chick-fil-A across America."

"And it's done it all while staying closed on Sundays, to respect the lord's day."

"Before founding Chick-fil-A, Cathy and his brother, Ben, ran a 24-hour diner called the Dwarf House. For nearly two decades, it was just another reasonably successful diner."

"Then, in 1964, Cathy invented the chicken sandwich that changed everything."

"People have been putting poultry between carbs for ages, but Cathy created something that revolutionized fast food."

"It was a well-mannered, unassuming sandwich of lightly breaded chicken, buttered bun, and two pickles. It was quick and easy to make, and there was nothing like it on any menu in America."

"To match growth with consistency, Cathy developed a model that would form the backbone of Chick-fil-A's success: a system of operators who run locations across the country."

"Operators pay just $10,000 — up from $5,000 in the '60s — to open a restaurant. The company doesn't require candidates to meet a certain wealth threshold, and Chick-fil-A covers all startup costs, including real estate, restaurant construction, and equipment."

"By comparison, McDonald's requires franchisees to pay between $1 million and $2.2 million in startup costs, including a $45,000 franchise fee."

"The process favors people who deeply believe that a restaurant serving fried chicken can be a positive force in a community."

"Their locations become operators' lives, with each operator typically allowed to run one store only. Operators split sales evenly with Chick-fil-A, after subtracting an annual licensing fee and expenses associated with running the restaurant."

"As Chick-fil-A evolved from a food-court player into a Southern staple, the company's values and operators' commitment to them became interwoven with the chain's success."

"""Truett did not shy away from his faith,"" Rodney Bullard, head of the Chick-fil-A Foundation, said. ""And his faith was a faith of opportunity and a faith of inclusion."""

"Cathy and other executives held weekly devotionals in the Chick-fil-A headquarters, a nonmandatory practice that continues today."

"The founder gave roughly 10% of his income to charities and opened the foster-care program WinShape Homes."

"In 2000, the Cathy family drew an even more direct connection between Chick-fil-A's business plan and its Christian values."

"In January, the next generation of the Cathy family — Dan, Bubba, and Trudy — signed a covenant promising to continue to carry on Chick-fil-A's history of philanthropic work, to grow conservatively and never take the company public, and to never open on Sundays."

"""We will be faithful to Christ's lordship in our lives,"" the covenant says."

"there is no other major restaurant chain in America that willingly surrenders more than $1 billion in annual sales by closing on Sundays. And, for Chick-fil-A, it's worth it."

"It provides a sense of urgency — you better get to that restaurant today, because they're going to be closed on Sunday,"""

"One of Chick-fil-A's biggest advantages is its hospitality and customer-service policies."

"""Dan's the one that came up with the idea to build on the principle going the second mile from Matthew 5:41,"" Robinson said, citing the Bible verse that instructs ""Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two."""

"LGBTQ activists had already been speaking out against the millions of dollars the Cathy family and Chick-fil-A donated through the WinShape Foundation to groups opposing same-sex marriage, from Christian charities to more extreme anti-LGBTQ lobbying organizations."

"There have been internal conversations about whether the partnership with the FCA is worth the backlash."

"In December 2012, Chick-fil-A opened an innovation center called The Hatch, a 35,000-square-foot building inspired by companies like Pixar and Apple. (The center is set to expand by roughly 15,000 square feet in the next few years.)"

"Thinking big means moving beyond America. Chick-fil-A is set to open in Toronto this year, its first location outside the US. In five years, the company plans to open at least 15 locations in the Canadian city and is seeking applications for new operators."

"""How long can we stay relevant and meaningful so that customers would not want you to not exit? It means you have to evolve."""

"""He says that because, if you look at history, organizations don't last,"""