The chain’s origin can be traced to the Dwarf Grill (now the Dwarf House), a restaurant opened by S. Truett Cathy. The first Chick-fil-A opened in 1967, in the food court of the Greenbriar Mall, in a suburb of Atlanta. The first freestanding location was opened April 16, 1986, on North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta, Georgia, and the company began to focus more on this stand-alone type unit rather than on the food court type. In October 2015, the company opened a three-story 5,000-square-foot restaurant in Manhattan that became the largest free-standing Chick-Fil-A in the country. As of 2016, the chain has approximately 1,950 locations. It also has 31 drive-through-only locations. Chick-fil-A can be found at universities, hospitals and airports through licensing agreements.

Francis Loughran’s appointment as a member to the Chick-Fil-A Advisory Council reflects Francis’ global view on food trends and how through strategic planning and sound business case planning can set out a framework for global expansion and market share domination.

Customised Food & Hospitality Services

• Global Food Trends In Casual Dining
  – Commercial Hospitality

• International Retail Food Master Planning & Strategy

• Menu Engineering & Development

• International Food Markets & New Market Penetration

• Customer Experience Mapping