- Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy came up with the name for the chain when looking for what to call the chicken sandwich he had spent years perfecting.
- Cathy decided that if the best cut of beef was the fillet, the boneless breast could be considered the fillet of chicken, or chicken fillet.
- To distinguish Chick-fil-A, he tweaked the spelling, capitalizing the "A" to represent "top quality."
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When Truett Cathy invented "Chick-fil-A," it wasn't a chain - it was a simple sandwich, to be sold at a diner called the Dwarf House.
Cathy spent years creating the chicken sandwich that became the star of the menu at the Dwarf House. The sandwich was a hit, but Cathy struggled to find a name.
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Originally, Cathy simply called the iconic sandwich "Chicken Steak Sandwich," but he was shut down by a attorney when he tried to trademark the product.
"I would have to misspell a word, turn it sideways or upside down, or do something else to distinguish it," Cathy writes in his book, "Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People."
"I began to reflect on the product, which was the best part of the chicken - a boneless breast," Cathy continued. "It occurred to me that the best cut of beef is a fillet; why not call ours a chicken fillet? Or chick fillet? Or Chick-fil-A?"
The finishing touch was capitalizing the "A," a move that Cathy says reflected "top quality."
Cathy registered the name in 1963. While Chick-fil-A has evolved from the name of the sandwich to the name of the chain, the logo has remained basically the same ever since.