Dan Cathy

As president of one of the nation’s largest family owned businesses, Dan Cathy represents the next generation of leadership for the Atlanta-based quickservice chicken restaurant chain founded by his father, S. Truett Cathy.  Eager to incorporate his own skills and talents into the business, Dan has taken an unconventional, yet personally and professionally rewarding approach to Chick-fil-A leadership.

Rather than leading from his corporate office in Atlanta, Dan chooses to spend the majority of his time traveling to the chain’s growing family of Restaurants and interacting with Chick-fil-A’s committed team of Restaurant Operators and team members.  His actions stem from a belief that working in the field provides a clearer understanding of the ever-evolving wants and needs of Chick-fil-A customers, and leading from the front line also enables him to personally convey his servant spirit across the chain.

The majority of his travels include participating in Grand Opening ceremonies for new Chick-fil-A Restaurants.  In yet another example of how he keeps in tune with customers and employees, Dan attended numerous Restaurant openings last year, spending the night in Restaurant parking lots along with hundreds of customers who were vying for a chance to win free Chick-fil-A food for a year as part of a special customer-focused promotion the chain conducts in conjunction with new Restaurant openings.

After receiving his bachelor of science degree in business administration from Georgia Southern University, Dan returned to Chick-fil-A where he served as director of operations – opening more than 50 new Chick-fil-A Restaurants throughout the country.  As Chick-fil-A continued to grow, so did Dan’s responsibilities with the company.  He has served as senior director of operations, vice president of operations and executive vice president prior to being named president and chief operating officer.

And in his “spare” time, Dan has completed the owner/management course at Harvard Business School, earned his pilot’s license (and is in fact an instrument-rated commercial pilot) and completed numerous marathons in Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles, Boston and New York.  Additionally, Dan is a passionate trumpet player and an avid motorcyclist.

A native of Jonesboro, Georgia, Dan has been married to the former Rhonda Palmer (whom he met in first grade at age six) for more than 30 years, and has two sons, Andrew and Ross.

His personal passion is to see the fulfillment of the Chick-fil-A Corporate Purpose: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”