Who doesn’t love Chick-fil-A? Their raging popularity has me convinced that there aren’t many who don’t enjoy their chicken. The history of Chick-fil-A is fascinating. It all starts at a little known restaurant in Fayetteville, GA. Dwarf Grill The history of Chick-fil-A is fascinating. It all started with S. Truett Cathy and a little restaurant called the Dwarf Grill. This was Cathy’s first restaurant venture. He opened right next to a Ford production plant in 1946 and enjoyed the constant stream of patrons. Dwarf Grill was renamed to Dwarf House and it has held that name ever since.  This is a special restaurant in the history of Chick-fil-A. This is where Cathy developed and tested his original chicken sandwich. You can still find the chicken sandwich on their menu today. However, that is where the similarities end.  The Dwarf House is a diner that is open 24 hours a day six days a week. They serve classic menu items like burgers, fries, collard greens, Mac and cheese, coconut ice box pie and a hot brown. They say if you have to ask what a hot brown is, you need to try one.  It is a unique and special restaurant. They have a strong family vibe. Cathy used to say people would come to the restaurant when they weren’t hungry just because they needed comfort. There are a few customers that have been coming around so often over the years that they are truly considered family. These few people have been given access to the coveted blue menu by the Cathy family.  The blue menu allows a person to enjoy 1946 prices in today’s world. This means you can get a hamburger for 15 cents or a steak plate for 65 cents. Incredible! After tremendous success with the Dwarf House restaurant, Cathy opened the very first Chick-fil-A in 1967. The rest is, as they say, history. S. Truett Cathy S. Truett Cathy is the founder of Chick-fil-A. He has a tremendous story that took him from Dwarf House to a major chicken empire. Cathy died September 8, 2014 at the age of 93. He had a passion for family focused life, a heart for his employees and a profound love for his customers.  A Humble Start Selling Coca-Cola From a very young age it was clear that Cathy had the entrepreneurial spark. At the age of 8 he sold Coca-Cola door to door. He’d buy a six pack for 25 cents and then sell them for 5 cents each. One of his neighbors would sit on her porch drinking Coca-Cola, but she wasn’t drinking one of his Cokes. He had to find a way to add value to his product to convince her to buy from him.  One day she suggested that he chill his Cokes and then she’d buy. He shaved some ice off his mother’s icebox to chill the Cokes. He had many people, including his neighbor, lining up to buy his product. This was where he learned the joy that comes from making customers happy. This was a lesson that became very important to the history of Chick-fil-A. Lessons Learned Slinging Papers As a teenager, Cathy had a job delivering papers. He said that he treated each paper like he was delivering it to the governor’s mansion. He wanted to make sure they never had to dig through the bushes to find their paper. It is incredible that a teen would have that work ethic. Many teens would simply get the job done. That attention to detail set Cathy apart. When he opened Dwarf House with his brother, they continued that focus on the customer. He often said they built their business and made friends at the same time. They tried to meet the needs of their customers whenever they could.