Why I Work at Chick-fil-A

I would like to suggest something absurd. I like love my job.

I am the training director at Chick-fil-A Indian Trail. According to today's culture, there are lots of reason why I should not like my job. People pay thousands upon thousands of dollars on education to avoid doing things like my job, right? Fast food, customer service, inconsistent hours, always on your feet. Most people gag at the idea of making a job like this your primary source of income on purpose. But the truth is, I choose to work at Chick-fil-A.

I am 24 years old and have been working in the food industry for 7 years. Chick-fil-A is not my first job and I can say that I have seen the good and the bad of my industry. Yes, I've been cursed out my a customer who was angry about something I had no control over. Yes, I have been yelled at by bad management for knit-picky things. Yes, I have been subjected to follow rules that had no purpose beyond being a rule. I have gotten home from work at 3am, exhausted. I have worked 14-16 hour days. My feet, legs, back, arms, and head have all hurt from working.

But. Chick-fil-A is the most amazing company to work for. It's unlike any other job I've had. Chick-fil-A wants you to have fun at work. CFA wants you to be generous. CFA wants to make an impact on customers' and team members' lives.

The Bible talks a lot about work. In fact, in Genesis 2, God gave Adam work before sin was introduced into the world. That means that God created man to work. Let that sink in. Work is good.

Stewardship
To be a good steward is to not be wasteful. Part of Chick-fil-A's corporate statement is to be a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." Luke 16:10

Being a good steward at CFA means being responsible for inventory and labor, yes, but more importantly it means being responsible with lives. We are given the responsibility to provide the love of Jesus to thousands of strangers every day, and we want to use every single chance we can to love on them. We also are responsible for the lives of the team members that we work with. This may be most of their first job, but it's our responsibility to prepare them for work later on in life. It's our responsibility to teach them how to love others. It's our responsibility to make work fun so that they come in excited to work and ready to impact the lives of others.

Generosity
Chick-fil-A is the epitome of generosity. The organization as a whole is so generous that I can't keep up with all of it. The two things that I am most familiar with are Winshape (a leadership program at Berry College) and the $1000 scholarship that every team member is eligible for.

Dean Sandbo, my operator/boss/mentor/friend, strives to live generously and incorporates that into our operations. He has the phrase "air on the side of generosity" which means that it's more important to bless others than to worry about numbers. It doesn't matter if a guest's complaint doesn't quite line up. It doesn't matter it you accidentally ordered the wrong thing or dropped your ice cream the second you walked away from the counter. Our goal is to bless the community.

Sure, occasionally we have people who try to take advantage of our generosity, and we have to handle those situations as necessary. But how many people can say that their boss trusts them to bless people as they see fit? How many people can say that their boss cares more about impacting others than about the cost involved with that impact?

"One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." Proverbs 11:24-25

Leadership Development
One interesting concept at both the Wesley Chapel and Indian Trail Chick-fil-A's (those operated by Dean) is the concept of leadership over management. A manager organizes things and enforces rules. A leader empowers others and leads by example.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking for your own interest but each of you to the interests of the others." Philippians 2:3-4

The character piece that Dean expects out of his leaders is huge. We are constantly looking inwardly at ourselves, examining if we're serving others as often as we should. We're encouraged to love others, to speak gently and have any necessary disciplinary discussions in private. We build others up as much as possible so that they may build up the community that they serve daily. The development that we get from Dean and one another allows us to better spouses, friends, and members of the community.

Servanthood
"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be salve of all. For even the son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:43-45

We incorporate the word serve into the Chick-fil-A "lingo" as much as possible. We talk about serving others all day long. We serve our guests, we serve one another. We don't "help", because helping implies emotional resistance. Serving requires humility.

Why do I work at Chick-fil-A?
I work at CFA because it glorifies God. Not only are many of the concepts based on biblical principles, but the principles empower me to glorify God. I am constantly put in situations where I can glorify Him through stewardship or servanthood. I am constantly loving Him by loving others. This is what God created man to do. This is what work is supposed to be about. And this is why I love working at CFA.

The truth is, I am on schedule to graduate with a degree in Psychology in May. My goal has been to find a job at a church, hopefully as an assistant youth minister. But, as that day grows steadily nearer, I've made a choice. I'm going to stay at CFA. I'm staying because I can glorify God through everything I do. I'm staying because the relationships that I've built mean the world to me. I'm staying because I love what I do.

And no, I'm not writing this as advertisement for Chick-fil-A. I'm not getting paid to brag about how awesome it is to work for them. I'm writing this because I'm tired of people feeling sorry for me that I work in the food industry as an adult. I'm tired of people assuming I hate my job and would take another if it was available. I'm tired of people looking down on what I do because it doesn't require higher education. I'm tired of the negative stereotype that goes along with fast food employees. I love serving people. I'm not looking for opportunities to mess with your food, and I won't even if you yell at me in front of the entire store. When I smile, I mean it. When I talk to you, it's because I want to get to know you. When I tell you I love my job, I mean it.

And yes, it really is my pleasure.