OPINION:
Traditional values are under relentless assault, so nothing stands out more than a businessman willing to put principle over profit. Such a man was S. Truett Cathy, the onetime short-order cook who founded Chick-fil-A and saw it grow to 1,775 restaurants. This one-of-kind entrepreneur put his values into practice.
Mr. Cathy, who died Monday at age 93, stayed true to his Southern Baptist faith — his middle name honored George W. Truett, the famous Baptist pastor in Dallas — by closing on Sundays. This horrified the secular society, accustomed to stores staying open around the clock, not closing even for Christmas or Easter. Staying closed on Sundays meant missing billions of dollars in revenues over the decades since he opened his first restaurant, a diner, in Atlanta in 1946. His employees had more time to be with family and were always home for the holidays.
The Sunday closings were “the best business decision I ever made,” Mr. Cathy said. They were also one of the key reasons he never took his company public, with its annual U.S. sales of more than $5 billion. Heading to Wall Street, he explained in a 1998 interview, would likely have meant giving up family control of company decisions, not only about operating hours, but about charitable contributions.
“As a public company, I’m sure somebody would object to our generosity,” he said. The family’s philanthropy included giving millions of dollars to Focus on the Family, Eagle Forum, the Family Research Council and other organizations dedicated to the support of traditional family values and to the definition of marriage, honored for centuries by all major religious faiths, as between one man and one woman.
The militant homosexual movement and its allies on the intolerant left have no forgiveness in their hearts for an organization that won’t give in to their novel reinterpretation of matrimony. The hard-left groups mustered their energies to damage the chicken-sandwich chain with a boycott. Chick-fil-A hasn’t budged. Dan Cathy, who last year succeeded his father as chairman, told the Biblical Recorder, a church newspaper in North Carolina, “We are very much supportive of the family, the biblical definition of the family unit.”
The chain’s willingness to hold a bold stance has inspired a fierce loyalty by its customers that industry analysts say is the envy of its fast-food rivals. Patrons rode to its rescue when the controversy boiled over two years ago. “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” rallies resulted in its restaurants being mobbed by customers — in a good way — which more than offset losses stemming from the left’s attempt at boycotts.
Liberal Democratic politicians lined up to bash the restaurant chain, rushing to waiting microphones to side with advocates for tolerance for everyone but those who disagree with them. Thomas Menino, then mayor of Boston, called on Chick-fil-A to “back out [of its] plans to locate in Boston.” Chick-fil-A’s values “are not Chicago values,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told The Chicago Sun-Times, ” … And if you’re gonna be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values.” Chicago with values. Who knew?
It’s true that S. Truett Cathy didn’t do things the Chicago way, that toddlin’ town where gangsters perfected intimidation to get their way. Mr. Cathy represented the American values. He’ll be missed.
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