What Chick-Fil-A Was First Called
Many of the most popular fast food chains that rake in billions of dollars every year didn't start out as the thriving businesses they are today. Some started off as small, mom-and-pop restaurants like In-N-Out Burger did. One even evolved from a hot dog cart (via Carl's Jr.). In the humble early days, several of these now-booming restaurants also opened under different names. Chick-fil-A, home of the Original Chicken Sandwich, is one example.
Now one of the largest fast food chains in the United States, according to QSR, Chick-fil-A opened as a small, 24-hour diner in 1946. Samuel Truett Cathy, along with his brother, founded the first location in Hapeville, Georgia (via Chick-fil-A). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the space occupied only 512 square feet, which is smaller than the average studio apartment today.
As with many other eateries, Cathy's diner went through a series of changes over the years, including a name change. In Cathy's case, these changes occurred for good reasons that ultimately boosted the business and made Chick-fil-A the successful restaurant it is today.
Before there was a chick, there was a dwarf
Cathy's diner was actually a house converted into a restaurant with room for only 10 stools and four booths, according to a 2022 Chick-fil-A story. It also had a small red door, similar to the hobbit doors from "Lord of the Rings." This little red door later became an iconic element for the restaurant. With consideration of the small size of the diner, Cathy and his brother named it the Dwarf Grill (per New Georgia Encyclopedia). The size didn't impact the restaurant's success — obviously.
Customers continued to flock to the restaurant over the next decade, prompting a name change to The Dwarf House in 1957 and later, a full remodel (per Chick-fil-A). It was at this Hapeville location in 1964 that Cathy changed the game for fast food restaurants when he made a fried chicken sandwich with a pressure fryer (via Insider). He called it the Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, which is now the restaurant's signature menu item.
In 1967, the diner underwent a complete structural rebuild. According to Cathy's executive administrative assistant, Martha Lawrence, the remodeled diner "Was [S. Truett Cathy's] dream ... one he built from the ground up, literally, digging the foundation for the building."
The same year as the remodel of The Dwarf House, Cathy opened the first official Chick-fil-A restaurant with the Chick-fil-A name in an Atlanta shopping center.
Chick-fil-A and The Dwarf House today
As the Chick-fil-A name grew in popularity over the years, the chain expanded to other mall food courts until the first freestanding location opened in 1986. Today, there are more than 2,600 locations peppered throughout 47 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
The menu also expanded. The famous Chick-fil-A Waffle Potato Fries made its way to the menu in 1985. The restaurant also offers Chorizo Cheddar Egg Bites and is bringing back its Grilled Spicy Deluxe Sandwich, as of September 2022.
Meanwhile, The Dwarf House still stands in Hapeville, now with the Chick-fil-A name attached. After closing in 2021 for another massive makeover, it reopened in February 2022 with the ability to hold double the capacity of the rebuilt 1967 space. It also features the original stools, the iconic three-and-a-half foot red "hobbit door," and other artifacts from the 1967 diner, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. You'll even find 15 dwarf statuettes hidden throughout the restaurant.
Several other Dwarf House locations were added in the Atlanta area, and they all offer the same traditional diner experience as the original Dwarf Grill from the '40s. But since they also bear the Chick-fil-A name, they feature the Chick-fil-A drive-thru experience and menu, along with a few specialty menu items including sweet potato soufflé and fried okra.
Pretty neat, huh? So if you're a Chick-fil-A fan who hasn't already been to Atlanta, now you have a good reason to visit.