Chick-fil-A is one of America’s favorite fast-food chains, and there’s something that sets it apart from other restaurants.
Driving the news: Chick-fil-A’s brand has always been known to foster a sense of genuine hospitality. Chick-fil-A employees are known to respond to customers by saying “my pleasure,” instead of “you’re welcome” or “no problem.”
Details: “You expect that from a five-star hotel,” Truett Cathy, the founder of the fast-food chain, said, according to the Chick-fil-A website. “But to have teenagers in a fast-food atmosphere saying it’s their pleasure to serve — that’s a real head-turner.”
According to CNN Business, Cathy borrowed the phrase “my pleasure” from The Ritz-Carlton. It fit in with Chick-fil-A’s customer-focused approach, such as adding flower arrangements on tables or positioning employees to take customer orders before they even get to the drive-thru window.
Flashback: Although the company doesn’t have an official policy for employees to end their conversation with “my pleasure,” it is recommended and even encouraged, a former worker revealed on Reddit.
This specific tradition of Chick-fil-A employees saying “my pleasure” has sparked rumors in the past — many claimed that saying the two magic words before the employee said them could get you a free chicken sandwich. According to a Snopes investigation, the rumor isn’t true.