Chick-fil-A Corporate Support Center

“I always thought about leaders as people who were charismatic and outgoing, who had big, outward-facing personalities. I’m an introvert. I knew I couldn’t be that.    But the more I talked to people leaders at Chick-fil-A, Inc., the more I started to see leadership as something different. Here, leaders focus on servant leadership. They bring a servant heart, a sense of humility and a deep care for those they lead.    Yes, I’m an introvert, but I enjoy people. I love seeing people grow, helping them learn, and helping them to find where they fit best and are most fulfilled. It's so energizing to me.    Now, as a people leader myself, I have continual conversations with the people on my team about how they want to grow. I’m always asking them: “What are you learning? What's the next thing you want to tackle? Where do you want to be? How can we carve out a purposeful path that leads you to your destination?”    Service is so ingrained in the heart of Chick-fil-A. We serve each guest. And here at the Corporate Support Center, we also serve the franchisee Operators and restaurant team members — and we serve each other. For me, it just aligns with who I am as a person. It’s really exciting to me that I don't have to put one face on at home and one face on at work. I know in my heart that it should be that way, but Chick-fil-A’s culture really makes that possible. And that is pretty awesome.    — Matt McElreath, Restaurant Accounting  #Accounting  #LifeatChickfilAInc  #Service 

Innovation drives us all forward, so every small improvement counts. Tell us, how do you embrace innovation?

“In data science at Chick-fil-A, Inc., we get to work with cutting-edge technology. We’re encouraged to explore the newest tools, and we’re given access to the resources needed to adopt them.     At the same time, each of us is engaged in directly creating business impact. We’re not just accumulating toys to play with. We’re making the investments that will deliver value and carry us into the future.”    — Nathaniel (Caleb) Wright, Forecasting Team, Data #DataScience #Innovation #LifeatChickfilAInc 

“I took some FMLA leave last year for about eight weeks. My people leader wrote me a handwritten letter on painted watercolor stationery every single week. In each message of encouragement, he also included words of support that he had sourced from other people I had worked with. It was incredible. And it showed care in a way I never expected.”    — Amanda Hand, Analytics Services Team, Enterprise Data & Analytics    #LifeatChickfilAInc #DataScience #WorkFullofCare 

“I’m serving as a steering team member on the Chick-fil-A, Inc. Community of Data Engineers, or CODE. I am passionate about training and coaching other people, and the CODE community is, in my mind, a great way to bring people together to learn from one another.     It’s very easy to become isolated in a technical role. It’s easy to think, ‘Hey, I’ve got to figure this out on my own.’ That’s not the culture at Chick-fil-A. And the CODE community is one way we’re striving to make sure no one feels this way.    Being invited to shape something that’s been so valuable to me feels incredibly meaningful.”     — Jonathan Johnson, Customer Market Insights Team, Data   #DataConnections #DataEngineering #LifeatChickfilAInc  

“At Chick-fil-A, Inc., we’re using cutting-edge technologies every day. We’re working with camera vision and incorporating that into our technology. We’re working with automation and incorporating that. Anything you could find in Silicon Valley, we’re doing. I’ve learned way more at Chick-fil-A, Inc. than I did working at tech startups. But the difference here is that there are far fewer pressures on us and on our families. There’s work-life balance. And we and our families are prioritized by the business and by our leaders. We know it, and we can feel it.    — Doug F., Customer Technology Solutions, Digital Transformation & Technology    #LifeatChickfilAInc #Tech #TechInnovation

“When I first learned about this role, I was very excited about it — but also intimidated. I had spent many years working at tech startups, but my background was all in software. I had never really worked with hardware before. I had never had to take into account the physical makeup of a product and how users would physically interact with it.    But I took the plunge, and now I’m working at Chick-fil-A, Inc., creating the next generation of in-store technology and building upon mesh networks that will allow restaurant team members to serve customers efficiently even if their store encounters internet connectivity issues. We’re working to create simple user experiences that make it easy for team members to smoothly serve customers with care.    Recently, I had the chance to bring some of the technology we’re working on into a career day at a local elementary school. The kids were so excited and eager to peek into the behind-the-scenes experience of working at a Chick-fil-A® restaurant. Before long, the kids were crowded around our tech, taking turns using it themselves.    The fact that a fourth grader can use our product with zero training, to me, is a marker of real success. We’ve seen through in-store trials as well that team members can pretty much jump right in to working with the tech with little-to-no explanation or training.    It’s thrilling to see the tech that we’ve built in use — and to see the immediate impact it’s making. Being able to connect to the end-user’s experience that way and see it in action gives me a sense of deep satisfaction.”    — Doug F., Customer Technology Solutions    #LifeatChickfilAInc #Tech #PointofSale 

“My superpower, the thing that I bring to the table as a data engineer, is that I enjoy building connections. I enjoy connecting people to one another based on their strengths and needs, and I feel the same way about bringing new data to teams by building data integrations.”    — Jonathan Johnson, Customer Market Insights Team, Data Analytics   #DataConnections #DataEngineering #LifeatChickfilAInc  

“What impressed me when I was considering joining Chick-fil-A, Inc. was the many ways the company shows care. The Chick-fil-A Leader Academy is doing so much to support young people and their education. The company went above and beyond to support team members during COVID. All of this confirmed for me that Chick-fil-A was someplace I wanted to be. Then when I joined, I realized that the idea of care is also carefully and intentionally woven throughout the company. I had been working in academia, where a person can work for weeks in their office without anyone knocking on the door. But at Chick-fil-A, the CEO invited me and other employees over for dinner at his home. Colleagues here check in on me. When I couldn’t make it in-person to a meeting a few months ago, I joined via video. When it was time for the lunch break, my doorbell rang, and my colleagues had sent a meal to my home. Who does that? Those things, simple things, show me that the people I work with are really thinking about me. And it’s not just them. The senior leaders here treat us as equals. When I was new, I accidentally walked into an executive lounge, thinking the food that was there for an event was intended for everyone. Afterward, my colleagues asked me where I’d been, and they explained. I couldn’t believe it. No one told me I wasn’t supposed to be there. No one made me feel less-than. They just chatted with me and welcomed me in.” — Franklin Gbologah, PhD, Enterprise Data & Analytics Team   #LifeatChickfilAInc #DataScience #CareAtWork 

“I’m not sure what came first, my love for cows or Chick-fil-A. For years I had always joked with friends and family that ‘If I buy the cow, can you just give it a place to live?’ – but hadn’t had much luck! I joined Chick-fil-A, Inc. almost three years ago on the Cybersecurity Engineering team, reuniting with a former colleague turned close friend, Sarah Hutcheson. While the last three years have been the most fulfilling time of my career, last year at my wedding truly showed me how unique and caring our culture is. Going back to my love for cows, as my wedding drew closer - Sarah had reached out and asked who I worked most closely with in my team. Little did I know that, on my wedding day, this would lead to a surprise that to this day still shocks me. As I approached the gift table at our wedding, I noticed the cutest framed photo of a baby Scottish Highland Cow. The frame was signed by friends, family and colleagues who had all come together to make my dream of owning a cow come true. Fast forward to today, and Monday the Cow lives a comfortable life on a farm in North Georgia. Working at Chick-fil-A, Inc. has been a dream come true in of itself, and the experiences and relationships I have developed will last a lifetime.” - Angela H., Principal Cybersecurity Architect, Digital Transformation & Technology