Chick-Fil-A is an American brand of fast food with locations scattered across the country and a devoted following in the south. While the brand has sparked controversy over some respects in the past their overall policies surrounding time off for employees, compensation and principled service seem to be in keeping with the ideas of corporate social responsibility. Along with the treatment of employees the company also has enacted policies that are ecofriendly and community based while donating significant funds to certain charitable organizations.
Concerning the company’s waste footprint they have in recent years
- Used 100% recycled materials for trays and napkins
- Expanded the use of polystyrene recyclable cups
- Retrofitted 1,200 restaurants with energy efficient appliances (Weebly, 2018)
The company has also given back to the community by
- Donating food to those in need
- Providing scholarships to team members
- Expanded individual franchise events that allow each store to mold to its community.
- $1.3 million awarded to 23 nonprofit organizations
- Innovation, entrepreneur programs, youth leadership training (Chick-Fil-A, 2018)
As a Chick-Fil-A team member employees enjoy perks such as
- Free lunch
- Scholarship program
- Flexible hours
- Guaranteed Sundays off
- Slightly higher than average starting pay for the industry (Lutz, 2015) (Chick-Fil-A, 2018)
By treating employees well, the service is notably better than that of other fast food competitors and the speed in which meals are delivered during peak times are spoken of as if they were lore. Further their methods of becoming a team player by encouraging strong families and strong communities makes them a community staple in many suburban areas.
While the company is typically thought of in a positive light comments by the owner in 2012 about the morality of gay marriage affected the company from a political standpoint (White, 2012). It was long known that the company had conservative roots and leadership (thus they are always closed on Sunday) but the intrusion into the political sphere was divisive and ill regarded by many. In itself the comment may not be linked directly to CSR practices, but the affect it had may have come with negative PR and acted to polarize communities with just as many consumers being driven away as pulled in by the comments (Olsen& Veerman, 2010). On the left of the isle different LGBTQ groups asked people to boycott while conservatives staged eat ins and frequented the restaurant more often to show support. In retrospect a more inclusive and socially responsible statement would have been about what the company supports as opposed to what it doesn’t or a broad spectrum statement that would be thought of as inclusive for all instead of biased against some.
Though foolish, environmental concerns have been politicized over the years to a Left v Right issue. That being said Chick-Fil-A does not appear to go overly deep into supporting environmental causes though they do implement simple practices that can reduce and reuse waste products. Given the company’s appeal to conservative diners and their politicized image since the 2012 incident I do believe that they believe in stewardship and are participating in environmental programs in earnest rather than for profit.
References
Chick-Fil-A. (2018). Giving Back. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from https://www.chick-fil-a.com/About/Giving-Back
Kauflin, J. (2017, December 06). The Best Places To Work In 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2017/12/06/the-best-places-to-work-in-2018/#3c97a0fd742e
Lutz, A. (2015, April 01). The 10 best-paying jobs in fast food. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from https://www.businessinsider.com/highest-paying-fast-food-jobs-2015-4
Olsen, K., & Veerman, B. (2010, January 13). One Smooth Stone Corporate Social Responsibility. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from https://www.slideshare.net/gvlk/one-smooth-stone-corporate-social-responsibility-2907719
Weebly. (2018). Chick-Fil-A. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from https://eteconnectionsproject.weebly.com/chick-fil-a.html
White, M. D. (2012, August 8). Chick-fil-A, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Ethical Consumption. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from https://www.economicsandethics.org/2012/08/chick-fil-a-corporate-social-responsibility-and-ethical-consumption.html
MKT 345 