S. Truett Cathy, a fast-food entrepreneur who turned a boneless chicken patty into the Chick-fil-A empire, died at home early Monday morning. He was 93. Cathy started making his signature chicken sandwich in the 1960s at his Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia. "He got the idea for the chicken patties after a poultry distributor asked if he could use chicken leftover from meals made for compact meals on planes," says The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
There are now more than 1,800 Chick-fil-A restaurants in the U.S., earning $5 billion in revenue in 2013. Cathy was almost as famous for his strong religious beliefs as his sandwiches; the stores are still closed on Sundays, in line with those beliefs. His son, Dan Cathy, has been CEO and chairman of the company since 2013.
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