The incredible story of how Chick-fil-A took over fast food

Hollis Johnson

Chick-fil-A has come a long way since the first location opened in 1967.

The chicken chain has exploded in the last couple years, as it expands across the US with some of the best fried chicken sandwiches in the country. However, as Chick-fil-A gets bigger, there are some facts about the chain that would be major surprises to many customers.

Here are some of the most unbelieveable things that have happened in Chick-fil-A's 49 year history.

Chick-fil-A has its roots in a restaurant called the Dwarf Grill, opened by founder Truett Cathy in 1946.

The company still has 12 locations of the full-service concept, today dubbed The Dwarf House, in the metro Atlanta area. In addition to the typical Chick-fil-A menu, these locations serve items such as the ham-and-cheese “Midnight Sandwich" and coconut icebox pie. It also has a miniature door for pint-sized customers, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

Cathy is credited for inventing the boneless chicken sandwich — today a fast-food classic.

Realizing traditional fried chicken preparation methods were too time-consuming for most fast-food chains, Cathy utilized a pressure cooker to create a speedily prepared boneless chicken sandwich in the early 1960s.

Cathy opened the first true Chick-fil-A at age 46, in suburban Atlanta.

In 1967, two years after finally perfecting his chicken recipe, Cathy was ready to open a restaurant based purely on the sandwich. The first location opened in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall, and was only 384 square feet.