Here's the one question a Chick-fil-A exec asks herself after every job interview
Hollis JohnsonChick-fil-A has a strenuous hiring process for their franchise owners to make sure they keep their high ratings for customer service.
If you want to open your own Chick-fil-A and make an estimated $100,000 a year, get in line.The fast food chain receives approximately 30,000 inquiries a year for about 100 openings, according to Dee Ann Turner, vice president of corporate talent at Chick-fil-A and author of "It's My Pleasure."
After interviewing potential franchisees, Turner says she always asks herself one question to figure out if they'd be good at running a restaurant: "Would I want my children to work for this person?"
She says the answer is usually pretty clear because their interview process is thorough.
First, applicants submit "an expression of interest" on the Chick-fil-A website. If you meet the company's requirements, someone will respond to you within three weeks to set up an interview with you, as well as your friends, family, and business partners.
One of the main things Turner looks for in candidates is "a desire to serve," she says, because, as founder S. Truett Cathy always said, Chick-fil-A is "not just in the chicken business, we're in the people business."
Cathy himself was dedicated to serving others, Turner says, because he gave people who weren't wealthy the opportunity to run their own restaurant by setting the financial requirement at just $10,000, as opposed to McDonald's $750,000.
"The franchise owners provide the day-to-day leadership for the business, and Cathy got to provide the financial means," she explains.
Hiring service-minded individuals helps Chick-fil-A keep their place as the best fast food restaurant for customer service, she says. "People don't just come here for the 15 cent coffee. They come because we're in the business to create a remarkable service for guests."