Chick-fil-A opened its first restaurant under that name in Atlanta in 1967.
The restaurant opened at the Greenbriar Shopping Center in southwest Atlanta. It was founded by S. Truett Cathy, who had previously operated the Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia. Cathy developed the boneless chicken sandwich that became the foundation of the Chick-fil-A menu and business model.
The company expanded through franchising while maintaining distinctive operating policies. Chick-fil-A restaurants are traditionally closed on Sundays, a practice Cathy established to give employees a consistent day off and to reflect his religious convictions. The policy has remained one of the brand's most recognizable features.
1946 is sometimes given as Chick-fil-A's founding year because that is when Cathy opened the Dwarf Grill, the predecessor business. That was not the first restaurant operating under the Chick-fil-A name. The Chick-fil-A brand itself began at Greenbriar in 1967.