The owner of the Chick-fil-A at Wolfcreek appreciates the customer support at that location for 23 years and says he will finally get a larger building and more parking space next year.
Marc Clapp, who operates both the Wolfcreek location as well as a restaurant inside the Galleria Mall, spoke at the monthly Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon today (5.22.19) at Stonebridge Golf Club. Chick-fil-A was the sponsor of the luncheon as well as the caterer.
“Thank y’all for supporting us. You made us the number one sales volume store in the Atlantic region,” he said of the Cordova location. “There has been no shortage of honking horns, but what a great problem,” he said of the often congested parking lot around the restaurant.
Next year, he said, the location will move to a former Walgreen’s location which is at the corner of U.S. Highway 64 and Germantown Parkway.
Mr. Clapp shared history of the eatery and its founder, C. Truett Cathy who started the business in 1946. “He was an incredible gentleman and a man of humble beginnings,” said Mr. Clapp. He said Mr. Cathy started the Dwarf Grill (later renamed the Dwarf House) in Hapeville, GA outside Atlanta. “He put it by the Ford plant and slept in a back room. When the shift changed, he started cooking.”
Today the company which invented the chicken sandwich has grown to a $10 billion business and is family-owned, he said.
Mr. Clapp explained an unusual time for Chick-fil-A in 1982 when the business financed a building at 23% interest. Sales were down, he said, and other chains were serving chicken sandwiches. “Chick-fil-A was really nervous. The company didn’t have a corporate purpose.”
So, he said, a weekend trip was planned to Lake Lanier (northern portion of Georgia) and the result was a corporate purpose: To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted in us and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A.
Following the talk, Wil Ashworth, Chamber president, reviewed upcoming events including the next monthly luncheon June 26th, a ribbon-cutting tomorrow (5.23.19) at Cannon Chiropractic and the May 31st Night at the Redbirds baseball.
… Photos by Jim Willis, Lakeland Currents
