Business Spotlight: Chick-fil-A Findlay

Company Name: Chick-fil-A

Employee Name and Role: Paul Hadde, Owner and Operator

 

By Sarah Mayle

How long have you worked here, what do you do, and what do you enjoy about working here?

Paul Hadde always wanted to own his own business, and for almost as long, that business had a name. Citing its great food and outstanding hospitality, he wanted to own a Chick-fil-A. The path forward was far from easy, but in 2018, nearly 10 years after the dream began, Hadde was selected to open a franchise at 1931 Tiffin Ave. in Findlay.

“When we grand opened there was huge excitement, which was fantastic.” Hadde said. “People were clamoring for it for years, and I remember when we put our first Facebook post out about it, it had over 100,000 views. That first day, (the restaurant) projected us to have $18,000 to $24,000 in sales but we topped out at like $36,500. The very next week they brought us a whole additional fryer – I don’t think they understood how big the brand was in smaller-town America.”

Hadde’s Chick-fil-A celebrated its 7-year anniversary on Sept. 6. – and Findlay loves the brand so much, a second location at 1165 W. Trenton Ave. is slated to open in early March. Hadde will own and operate both, something of a feat, as Chick-fil-A rarely allows an operator to run more than one restaurant.

“There are a lot of strict guidelines, certain thresholds you have to be able to meet,” Hadde said. “It’s certainly not automatic, and there is a whole interview process for it. Chick-fil-A is really big on their owners being in the store, spending time with their people, being part of the team, and that’s very important to me. I wanted to be able to do this, but I don’t own a franchise territory, so it was a very nerve-wracking process – I’m so thrilled at this opportunity.”

Hadde’s favorite part about his work is how the Chick-fil-A brand provides him the opportunity to positivity impact people on many different levels. The brand is known for its commitment to excellence; outstanding, hospitable service; quality food; care for its staff; and involvement in the communities it serves.

“It is something pretty special to be associated with this brand, when people find out you’re a Chick-fil-A operator they always say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so cool!’ Hadde said. “That’s really fun because they know what we’re about. I have 135 team members that I get the opportunity to impact. And I could walk into any school in the county and they’re happy to have me talk or they want to do programs together because they respect what we do, knowing that we operate a business dedicated to excellence.”

He continued, “Coming from a middle-class family and growing up in Cleveland you just kind of existed, nobody knew who you were,” Hadde said. “I never anticipated how much I would enjoy the community impact element of being an owner-operator, but very quickly, I realized that everybody knows who I am. And it became really cool, really fast, to be able to see that positive impact we can have, all from the outflow of running a really great restaurant.”

What is your founding story?  What can we expect at the new restaurant on Trenton Avenue?

“We change the world, and ourselves, by our response to unexpected opportunities.”

– S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A

According to Chick-fil-A’s website, S. Truett Cathy started a diner called The Dwarf Grill with his brother in Atlanta in 1946. The diner’s success provided the means for Cathy to open his first Chick-fil-A, a quick-service restaurant in Atlanta, in 1967. The restaurant’s unique name is a play on words, referencing chicken and the word filet – typically a quality cut of meat – earning the grade of an A.

Cathy created Chick-fil-A to serve top-quality food with exceptional hospitality. He believed “a great company is a caring company,” and established a strong and caring workplace culture of positivity and respect. “We are better together” is one of Chick-fil-A’s core values.

Cathy prioritized customer service, and when traveling one day thanked an employee at a high-end hotel. The man replied, “my pleasure,” and Cathy was moved by the sentiment. He encouraged his employees to add it to their daily interactions, and it is a polite sincerity for which the restaurant is known. Chick-fil-A bases its business practices on Biblical principles and is closed on Sundays; a decision Cathy made in 1946 and is upheld today to allow his employees a day to rest and worship if they choose.

He wrote six books and was a committed philanthropist, especially dedicated to making a difference in the lives of youth. S. Truett Cathy died at the age of 93 in 2014, but Chick-fil-A remains in the family – his son was appointed CEO in 2013, and his grandson, Andrew, currently serves as CEO. There are nearly 3,300 Chick-fil-As in 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada, and the restaurant brings in more than $18 billion annually.

Locally, the Tiffin Avenue restaurant opened in 2018, and Hadde’s story is one of perseverance. He always appreciated Chick-fil-A’s food and famous hospitality and in college was intrigued when he read that it was only $5,000 (now $10,000) to open your own franchise. By chance, he met a young owner-operator while attending Baldwin Wallace University, where he double majored in economics and business sustainability, and started a job as a team member.

“If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, the guest facing side and what happens behind the scenes are not usually the same thing,” he said. “But it was crazy because the way that we treated the guests was the way that we treated each other, and the way that my boss treated me was the way that Chick-fil-A, Inc. treated us. I loved the environment.

“I actually also worked for a pool company, and I had worked my way up. I was a regional supervisor for them, but I kept working at Chick-fil-A because I loved it, just as a regular team member.”

Hadde pursued becoming a franchisee right out of college, “but was quickly rejected.” Hadde and his wife, Ann, moved to Findlay in 2013 when she got a job at Marathon Petroleum Corp. He began working at Menard’s in Findlay, then in 2015, the Haddes moved to Columbus when Paul started in Speedway’s Leadership Development program. But Chick-fil-A remained on his mind.

“I reapplied and 2.5 years later, and after 11 different interviews I was selected to come back to Findlay to open the Chick-fil-A,” Hadde said. “It was so exciting, we crushed the Ohio grand opening sales record, and it has been great to grow into this community.”

Seven years later and after a second rigorous process, Hadde is preparing to open Findlay’s second restaurant at 1165 W. Trenton Ave. The new Chick-fil-A will have 62 seats inside, 16 outside and 79 parking spaces. The 5,222 square foot restaurant is smaller than the one on Tiffin Avenue but will have a larger parking lot and drive-thru space.

“With this location being close to the highway, there will be a different clientele than the neighborhood restaurant here,” Hadde said. “There will be more people from the highway who are passing through or are here for tournaments on the weekend. It’s going to be exciting to see the differences. I think it will be good for my team to be able to be able to experience something a little bit different.”

A groundbreaking celebration, organized by Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, was held for the new restaurant on Sept. 10. Tentative opening date for the new Chick-fil-A is March 5, 2026. About 135 people currently work for Chick-fil-A Findlay.  Hadde said starting in January, he will hire 105-130 new team members to operate the Trenton Avenue location. Those interested can search Findlay Chick-fil-A careers here. 

What is produced / created / services offered by the company?

Chick-fil-A is a quick-service restaurant that specializes in all things chicken. It is known for its top-notch customer service, community involvement and especially speedy drive-thru process. The restaurant also offers catering and home delivery.

According to its website, Chick-fil-A serves only real breast meat with no fillers, artificial preservatives, or steroids. The chicken contains no added hormones and is raised with No Antibiotics Important to Human Medicine (NAIHM). The restaurant also sources its chicken from farms in the U.S. in accordance with Animal Wellbeing Standards.

Chick-fil-A offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, including family-style meals. They source fresh produce for salads and fruit cups, remove unnecessary ingredients, hand-bread their chicken in-restaurant, and offer healthy choices like salads, a “kale crunch” side, “Buddy Fruits” applesauce, and grilled options. Of course there are treats too – varieties of frosted lemonade, frosted coffee, milkshakes, “IceDream” cups and cones, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies.

What’s their best seller?

“Ironically, it’s waffle fries – they are on 80 percent of all orders,” Hadde said. “And I feel like our big success is Chick-fil-A sauce – it’s available for sale in stores and sponsors our team members’ scholarships, so I always tell people please buy it – but now, I think every restaurant has its secret sauce and we were on the cutting edge of that. From my start as a team member in 2009 I can really see the growth of that, when it kind of ran parallel to honey mustard and ranch sauce. It’s unbelievable the number of cases we go through.”

When asked what’s on the menu that people really need to try, Hadde mentioned breakfast. His sincere enjoyment of the items came through in his explanation.

“Our breakfast is phenomenal,” he said. “I’ll mention three different items. The Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit – we make our biscuits fresh, they’re not frozen, and they are delicious. The chicken minis, which are our nuggets on a yeast roll with a honey butter spread – oh my gosh, so good. And then, if you want to be healthier in the morning, we have the Egg White Grill, which is grilled chicken – I know it sounds crazy for breakfast, but it’s really good – with egg whites, American cheese on an English muffin. It’s actually my go-to. The grilled chicken for breakfast tastes amazing and you feel good the rest of the day.”

Incidentally, the author mentioned never trying Chick-fil-A breakfast and was treated to a sample of the three items above. All three were excellent. I was particularly amazed by the Chicken Minis on the yeast roll. It’s served with your choice of honey, or different flavors of jelly that you drizzle over the chicken and delicious roll. Fantastic – a savory and sweet taste combination!

What makes you stand out?

“Our brand is best known for being home of the Original chicken sandwich, but for the last twenty years or so we have become more well known for our service,” Hadde said. “We are no exception here at Chick-fil-A Findlay. We have won The Courier’s award for Best Customer Service every year we have been eligible, which I think speaks highly of my team given that we are a chain in a small town. We were ranked No. 1 in the entire franchise system for customer satisfaction from March to May this year. I think this goes back to Findlay having the perfect pairing for great talent and great customers.”

Positivity, respect, and elevated language make all the difference.

“It’s a mindset,” Hadde said. “Everybody has a lot going on in life, but I think when you speak the language of hospitality that starts to reframe your mind. It might not be your pleasure to serve that first guest, but by the tenth guest, you realize, ‘I am actually enjoying this.’ Those words actually do make it more enjoyable – for me, it’s not just something we say, it becomes a part of you.”

Findlay’s Chick-fil-A is also very involved in the community with numerous organizations. Hadde highlighted two – The Big Shake and Women’s Resource Center of Hancock County.

The restaurant’s emphasis on soft skills makes it a natural fit for The Big Shake, a program during which students meet a new community member and practice making a good first impression. During the competition, the students make their way through progressive rounds displaying confidence and making eye contact, offering a quality handshake, and practicing the art of conversation. Chick-fil-A is currently involved in the program with Findlay City and Liberty Benton schools and provides scholarships in connection with it.

“No offense to other brands, but there are few other restaurant brands where people would see it as a respectable place to have a soft skills competition,” Hadde said. “I really believe in what they’re doing – we’re glad we can complement the great things people are doing – and it’s been a really awesome program to be involved with.”

Chick-fil-A facilitates a national Leadership Academy for high school students and is piloting a similar program in 100 middle schools this year. Because of some of the programming they have already done through The Big Shake and beyond, Hadde said the Findlay restaurant was chosen for two of the pilot middle schools.

“Van Buren and Liberty Benton will be taking part in that this year and hopefully it’s successful,” Hadde said. “I’d like to bring it to all of the Findlay City Schools.”

Chick-fil-A also supports the Women’s Resource Center of Hancock County, sponsoring its annual Turkey Trot fundraiser race.

“I love their mission in supporting mothers,” Hadde said. “WRC has great programs, and anytime we can make things easier for moms, we’re glad we can be a part of it.”

Have you been involved with the ED office?

Findlay’s Chick-fil-A is a new member with Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development and Hadde hopes to become more involved.

“My degree was economics, and I love development – I think (Findlay) has so much potential,” Hadde said. “I have some ideas, and I’ve been meeting with a lot of different people. I don’t want to just sit on the sidelines.”

Hadde’s wife, Ann, is part-owner of SOAR Adventure Park, an indoor park under construction in Findlay that is slated to open in mid-October. The park will feature trampolines, a zipline, climbing walls, racing slides, and more, and offers Findlay families a fun entertainment option without having to travel.

“My wife’s doing the trampoline park, I’m opening a second restaurant, we’re here and we’re heavily invested in Findlay,” Hadde said. “I want to work toward community success beyond what I’m doing here. My wife and I are committed to the overall success and growth of Findlay. This is truly one of the unique towns in America and I want to play a role in stewarding and growing it for the next generation. This community is special.”

If there were one take-away you would want people to have about your company, would it be?

“I think people often see franchises as a corporation and many corporations do own franchises, but you have some great local businesspeople who are highly engaged and invested in the community who operate chains,” Hadde said. “Think Brian Edler with Dominos, Josh Elchert at Heavenly Pizza, and Danielle Doxsey at Culvers. These people are involved in their operations, they care for their people, and they want to build Findlay to maximize its potential.

“I’m so excited for the next 10 years to see how we can bless the community with the expansion of our second restaurant.”

To Learn More:

chick-fil-a.com, On Facebook, “Chick-fil-A Findlay”

For Job Opportunities:

chick-fil-a.com/locations/oh/findlay-oh Chick-fil-A will hire 105-130 new team members for the new Trenton Avenue restaurant beginning in January.