She had the “it” factor

This morning I took my kids to a Chick-fil-A that I have only been to a couple of times here in Charlotte. It’s not anywhere near our normal route, but today it happened to be the chosen chicken palace for us. We weren’t there to eat, but I told the kids they could play on the playground and I’d buy them a couple chocolate milks.

As soon as we entered the door, an excited voice welcome us in! I later discovered her name was Finese. She had a big smile on her face while she swept the dining room. I ordered the milks and sat down near the playground. She interacted with my kids before they scampered off into the play area. I asked her what she knew about Truett Cathy. She told me he started Chick-fil-A with a Dwarf House and it grew and grew and he was a great man with Christian faith and that she loves working for Chick-fil-A.

She then noticed that my kids were running breathless in and out of the playground door and had consumed their milk. She volunteered to get them some ice water because after she drinks chocolate milk, she can always use some water. She didn’t know I was noticing everything about her. I noticed how she listened intently to me, while continuing to work. I noticed how she encouraged and complimented. I noticed how she brightened everyone’s day. She cared about me, she cared about my kids, and she didn’t stop working. She had the “it” factor. The perfect balance of work ethic and personality. She made us feel like a million bucks.

When it was time to go, I called the kids down from the slides and gathered socks and shoes. But before I left, I walked up and asked to see Finese. By this time, she had rotated over to the drive-thru window. I asked if I could speak to her. Her manager called her over and the two of them and about three others gathered at the end of the line. I told them that I wanted to say that Finese is something special. That food is food, and even though it’s good chicken, it’s the people who are the secret sauce of Chick-fil-A. I let them in on the fact that I used to be a director at Chick-fil-A as well as train all around the country… and that Finese is one of the best I’ve ever seen.

I then gave her my silicon “Just Truett” bracelet. It’s been my personal bracelet for about three years, but it was time to pass it on to someone who embodied Truett’s heart for service and for people. The world needs a whole lot more Fineses… and Chick-fil-A is blessed to have her!

CFA

KPrainJrLeave a comment

Mission Accomplished!

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.

KPrainJrLeave a comment

One fantastic year of #JustTruett

It has been exactly one year since I wrote this post about launching the Just Truett t-shirts, and as I sit and reflect on what has probably been the craziest and busiest year of my life, I cannot help but praise God. I am not where I thought I would be at this time, but the journey has been a blessing and the future is bright.

As most of you know, I was turned down this past May to own and operate a Chick-fil-A in Montana. It was a long shot from the get-go, and corporate had told me they had chosen someone over a year ago, but I still gave it my all and went for it. I’m so happy for the operator they chose for that particulate location. He’s a great guy and a super fit for the Flathead Valley of Montana.

After much prayer, I decided to leave Chick-fil-A in September and go into real estate (though I still enjoy consulting and helping others in their own journeys). I obtained my NC Real Estate license and have almost completed my training to become a Sales and Marketing Rep for the Ryan Homes brand of NVR, Inc. Real estate class was no joke, but I love learning, growing, and expanding my horizons, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Along with changing careers, we lived 3 different places in 2016. We had been renting, thinking I was going to become a CFA operator in some part of the country, and therefore did not want to be tied down owning a house. After signing on with Ryan Homes, we settled back into Fort Mill, SC. I am pretty sure my wife was pumped to finally “settle” somewhere. 🙂

Since so much happened this year, I did not have much time to focus on promoting Just Truett shirts…. yet I was inundated with stories from operators and staff around the country telling me how they were able to use them to tell the story of Truett Cathy and his heart to serve others! Love getting feedback like that.

It has been exactly one year since I began to really promote the t-shirt and teach others the meaning behind the shirt. As I promised Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A and Truett’s son, I did not make a profit selling t-shirts. I had a few people in the chain who were skeptical about the shirts, and/or the motive behind the shirts. Was I making money off of someone who is deceased, am I trying to gain attention, or maybe I was simply using Truett’s name to launch some larger venture later. None of these can be further from the truth.

This year, 210 shirts were purchased/donated across the country…. actually, one went to England as well for the pop-up event Chick-fil-A does for a day. They were used for conferences, events, in-store service, and other venues. With some of the funds, we were able to give $500 to a Chick-fil-A team member who had lost her brother in an accident and needed a vehicle. People have used the t-shirt in so many incredible and creative ways…. I am overwhelmed reading them all. I recently started an Instagram page to try to document those who have sent photos wearing the shirt. You will see operators, corporate staff and even Mike Tolbert of the Carolina Panthers!

I just finished running the numbers, and to those who doubted I was doing it for the right reasons and simply trying to make a profit…. I ended up negative $225 at the end of the year. And that is OK! Why? Because my goal from the very beginning was to create a simple shirt that reminded us all daily to serve as Truett served, to care as Truett cared, and to love as Truett loved. It’s a model of service that continues to this day in Chick-fil-A restaurants across the country, and hopefully this shirt helps in a small way to carry on his legacy.

A special thank you for everyone who purchased a shirt or multiple shirts this year. Because of you, so many lives were impacted this year. May God bless you! tc

KPrainJrLeave a comment