Fashion – HOUSE OF PRAIN

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven”

It was almost two years ago that JUST TRUETT began. A simple idea. An idea that, two years later, I would have never believed would have reached so far and impacted so many. But that was my purpose for it. I wanted something simple, yet tangible. Something that would cause the 16 year-old new hire to ask, “What does ‘JUST TRUETT’ mean?” And in that moment, you have the opportunity to share the life and legacy of a man who not only mastered the chicken sandwich, but someone who also impacted lives. Thousands and thousands of lives.

When he passed in the fall of 2014, everyone knew who he was. Then, as time went on, I began to walk into stores and ask random employees about Truett Cathy. Sadly, many of the younger ones would respond that they didn’t know who he was – though his likeness in the form of a cardboard cutout was standing over near the playground. It was then that I really saw the importance of the JUST TRUETT t-shirt. A simple, yet perfect way to explain who he was and how he served. To the young new hire, “Do you know what you do when a guest comes back into your restaurant incredibly upset because you forgot to place a straw in their bag at the drive-thru window? You ‘JUST TRUETT’! You do what Truett would have done. You treat them and serve them how Truett would have treated them and served them.” And right there, that opens up the conversation of who Truett was, and you not only teach them the correct response in handling a tough situation, but you also get the opportunity to tell his story at the same time.

Right from the beginning, I wanted to do things the right way. I asked Dan Cathy for permission to use his dad’s name on the t-shirt, even though ‘Truett’ is a first name used by many throughout the years. I also did not add the CFA logo, the Cathy name, or CFA font. Why? Because I wanted it to be a simple shirt that only those “inside” CFA would understand the meaning. A shirt where it was “understood” that it was associated with CFA without being technically a CFA shirt.

It took off immediately. Operators and staff across the country were catching my vision. From Dan Cathy, to Mark Cathy, corporate staff, operators, team members, and even raving fans and NFL players – they loved and appreciated the mission and mindset behind the shirt. Operators were messaging me with stories of how they used the shirt to teach classes on leadership. Friends had me ship the shirt to England to wear during the overseas pop-up events. And during the floods in Houston, shirts were shipped down to a local store to use while serving the community. It was making an impact and it was serving the purpose for which I had prayed it would serve.

To this day, as promised to Dan Cathy, I never made a dime off the t-shirts in profit. If anything, I took a loss and it was worth it to me. I loved this! It was a fun mission and it served its purpose well.

Today, I was asked by the family, through the CFA legal team, to discontinue the shirts. They expressed their gratitude and the efforts made to continue Truett’s legacy, and even though the shirt is technically not a CFA shirt, they need to be careful with their name and I completely understand that.

So as of today, I will be shutting down the Just Truett facebook page, the instagram page, and discontinuing production of the shirts. Those who have the shirts, please continue to tell the story – it must still continue to be told.

To all of who who have used these shirts to create a REMARKable experience for your team and your guests, and to all of you who have made a positive impact on those you have been in contact with because of the shirt, I thank you. Thank you for getting behind me, knowing my motives and heart were pure in this effort and for supporting JUST TRUETT throughout the past two years. I am forever grateful.

I humbly and respectfully bow out, knowing that I love the Cathy family, the brand, and the raving fans. And you never know. Maybe I’ll be adding to his legacy by owning and operating my own CFA restaurant one day. Only the Lord knows. To Him be all the honor and glory. Amen.

A few months back, while working mid-day in shift at the home Chick-fil-A, the thought struck me to “JUST TRUETT”. I kind of chuckled to myself and shared it with a fellow team member. A couple weeks later, I went online and made a simple t-shirt with that slogan on the front. Honestly, it was something I did because I told my team member that I should do it, and it would be fun. I finally received the t-shirt a few weeks later, and I posted it on my personal social media sites.

A few days went by, and I began receiving notifications from Chick-fil-A team members around the country asking me where they could get one. I was hesitant. Our founder, Truett Cathy, went home to be with the Lord at the end of 2014, and I did not want this to come across as something trivial, but rather as a unique, creative way to get the message across of what Truett Cathy’s heartbeat was… what he embodied… how he impacted others.

Still hesitant, I emailed Chick-fil-A’s president and CEO, Mr. Dan Cathy, to ask his opinion. Truett was his father, after all, and I wanted his blessing before moving forward. After emailing Mr. Cathy and explaining my thoughts behind the slogan, he responded with: “Terrific idea, Kent! Creative way to get the message across. You have my permission to fulfill all the orders.”

WOW! But now what? I didn’t know the first thing about ordering bulk t-shirts, but I love to learn and I’m an entrepreneur…. so I started doing research. Thankfully, the one who encouraged me to get started and the one whose company did the behind the scenes work for me was a good friend, Keith Rogers, from 323 Sports out of the Raleigh, NC, area.

I never realized how OCD I would be with t-shirts. I rejected the first samples because I wanted a higher-end t-shirt. One that would cost me more money personally, but one that would give Chick-fil-A’ers around the country a quality purchase. After agreeing to the shirt and the font design and size, I put in my initial order for 150 shirts. Exciting!

After setting up a little office in my walk-in closet, and creating a simple google drive order form, I was ready to sell. It’s been 48 hours now, and 22 shirts have been sold. First shipment will be shipped out Monday, January 4. Cannot wait until those who receive them begin wearing them, giving them the chance to share what “JUST TRUETT” means.

This is not about making money. This is not about me. At all. I simply want to #LIVETHELEGACY of Truett Cathy, and continue to serve in the manner in which he served.

So what does it mean to “JUST TRUETT”? When a guest is upset at you…. JUST TRUETT. When you are wrongly accused…. JUST TRUETT. When a fellow team member is going through a tough time…. JUST TRUETT. I like to sum it all up by infusing a good portion of Chick-fil-A’s corporate purpose:

JUST TRUETT.

“Treat each and every person with honor, dignity, and respect. Be a faithful steward of all that God has given to you. Be a positive influence on all those you have the privilege to meet. Love unconditionally.”

If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, I’ve posted the ORDER FORM here.

May God bless you all this New Year!!