Rofo Franchise Operator Receives Highest Honor

The following was submitted by Desiree Mahr, Jackson Spalding for Chick-fil-A:

ROYERSFORD, Pa. (March 2, 2012) – Jaret Mitchell, franchise Operator of the ^® restaurant at Royersford is the recipient of the Symbol of Success award, Chick-fil-A’s highest honor for a restaurant Operator. The Symbol of Success award recognizes those who successfully achieve aggressive sales goals over the previous year. Mitchell was among 69 restaurant Operators to receive the award at the chain’s annual meeting held Feb. 12-15 in Orlando, Fla.

As part of the award, Mitchell earned the opportunity to select one of 13 Ford models of his choice. First-time Symbol of Success winners receive the keys to their vehicle for one year. Restaurant Operators who match or exceed the same level of performance for the second consecutive year earn the title to the vehicle.

In a year of new product introductions, geographic expansion and new store openings, Chick-fil-A finished strong in 2011 by marking the company’s 44th consecutive year of sales growth. The company reported record system-wide sales of more than $4 billion, representing a 13.08 percent increase over the chain’s 2010 overall sales performance.

“Our restaurant franchisees are Chick-fil-A’s very own symbols of success,” said Chick-fil-A President and Chief Operating Officer Dan T. Cathy. “Their persistent commitment to excellence in customer service and ability to provide unmatched product quality to each customer on every visit is what shapes and maintains our brand.”

Since Chick-fil-A Founder S. Truett Cathy initiated the Symbol of Success program in 1975, more than 1,000 Operators have earned the award, and 157 of those have received the title to the vehicle in the second year.

About Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is the nation’s second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain (based on sales), with more than 1,600 restaurants in 39 states and Washington D.C.  In 2011, Chick-fil-A produced record sales of $4.1 billion – a 13.08 percent overall increase and a seven percent same-store sales gain that helped extend the chain’s streak of consecutive sales growth to 44 years. In September 2011, Chick-fil-A was named Top Large Chain by Zagat’s National Fast Food Survey of 6,000 customers. Consumer Reports named the chain the nation’s top chicken chain in its August 2011 Quick Service Restaurant survey of 36,000 readers.