Relationships & Receipts
I think a lot about those two words. On the one hand, as one of the leaders of Chick-fil-A, I spend a lot of time with receipts. On the other hand, as a father and a husband, relationships are constantly on my mind. But in the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to learn a lot about how those overlap.
Sometimes, it’s easy to think about receipts. Finances, profits, bank account slips, those things are built on data. Black and white numbers that are straight forward and concrete. Relationships are messier. They move slowly and get tangled with feelings and emotions. It’s tempting to spend all our time on the “receipts of life.” To think that the numbers we control matter more than the relationships we participate in. Lately though, I’ve seen what can happen when you focus on both.
Buy one get one free. Half off Fridays. Bring in a friend, get a free meal. There’s no shortage of one time promotions your business can run. And the truth is, that more than likely, doing one of those will drive higher receipts for you that day. Maybe even that whole week. It’s really hard though to drive a long term relationship though with a receipt. It’s a great instant boost, but once the dust clears, things haven’t really changed.
That’s why, instead of spending much time and energy on short term receipt promotions, we’ve learned to do things like daddy daughter date night. Just like it sounds, that’s simply a special night when we invite dads and daughters to join us at Chick-fil-A on a date. And although it might not drive the instant sales and receipts as other promotions, you should see the relationships it builds. You should see how dressed up those daughters get. You should see how proud those dads are. You should see the long term impact a simple event like that has on Chick-fil-A.
Each day we have the chance to choose between relationships and receipts. I hope today you’ll pause long enough to explore which option might be best for your vision and your company for the years to come.
*Note: The image comes from a recent Daddy Daughter Date Night at a Chick-fil-A in Olathe Pointe. That smile says it all.
This post is categorized Chick-fil-A and tagged Chick-fil-A, Daddy Daughter Date Night
I would love to see one of those “date nights” in the Raleigh area!! We love your company and what it stands for. Thanks and God Bless!
Wow! What a great post and inspiring message!
I frequent my local Chick-Fil-A(s) to grab a quick, quality meal with my family (wife Jennifer of 9 years and 3 kids…Lauren 6, Luke 4 and Brooklyn 2). Today, however, I needed a quick place to grab a drink and WiFi access to complete some work by a deadline.
This time, after logging on, I noticed the link for dantcathy.com and was curious to check it out. I’m glad I did!
After a few quick clicks, I found the words “Daddy Daughter Date Night” which led me to this post. I was already aware of the strong values that run through the veins of the Chick-Fil-A corporation and this post further proves what I already knew…that Chick-Fil-A, its founder, family and leadership really have it right…not just the food, but the heart.
As I took the couple of short minutes to read this post, I found myself getting choked up and teary eyed. Not just because of the warmth of the story but because of a somewhat recent memory that was brought to mind.
You see, family is the second most important thing to me (the first being my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ). And with having three children, time with all of them is great, fun, memorable and rewarding, however, one-on-one time with them individually happens less often.
So, a few months ago, my wife and I both noticed something about our oldest daughter Lauren. We realized that she needed some special, one-on-one time with her favorite person in the world…ME! It was decided. Lauren and I would go on a date!
We set out on a Friday night a few weeks ago for our date to…you guessed it…Chick-Fil-A. What an exciting time! Lauren was sooo excited…just bubbling over with joy. She wore the biggest smile on her face the entire time. She’ll know one day that the date meant far more to me…I’m the luckiest man in the world!
That was our first date and we look forward to many more dates to be shared at Chick-Fil-A.
Thanks for the reminder of such a wonderful time in our lives. Just one more reason why we will continue to support our local Chick-Fil-A restaurants with great enthusiasm! May the Lord continue to bless and prosper you…even as your soul prospers!
Sincerely,
Chris Powell
Lexington, KY