These Are The Chick-Fil-A Heirs And How Much They Are Really Worth
In 2020, it was reported that the combined worth of America's 50 wealthiest families topped $1.2 trillion. And $14.2 billion of this total came from the Cathy family, a dynasty that has made its wealth by starting and growing the well-known fast food brand Chick-fil-A.
Unlike many other fast food companies, Chick-fil-A remains a family-owned business, and the ethos of the Cathys is reflected in the business. For example, the Cathys' Christian beliefs mean all Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Sundays. More controversially, the company and family have repeatedly supported anti-LGBTQ+ charities.
On a business level, being family-owned has its benefits. Unlike other fast food companies such as McDonald's, individuals outside the family cannot purchase stock in the company. The lack of shareholders means that the value and profits of Chick-fil-A remain in the Cathy family from one generation to the next.
For the family's younger generations, the promise of huge inheritances — and a clear path to the top of the business world — are evident. But with the Cathy family growing ever larger, here's a breakdown of the Chick-fil-A heirs and how much they are worth.
S. Truett Cathy (Chick-fil-A founder)
The Cathy family owes its wealth to the work of two men: S. Truett Cathy and his brother Ben. The two men founded Chick-fil-A's precursor, a diner called Dwarf Grill, in Atlanta in 1946. Just three years later, Ben and Horace — another Cathy brother — died in a plane crash.
Left to grow the business by himself, S. Truett Cathy turned to family recipes, developing the chicken sandwich he would grow his empire with. The idea of rapidly cooked, high-quality chicken sandwiches became a reality in 1961 when a new pressure fryer invented by Chester Wagner significantly reduced the cooking time of chicken. Cathy could now serve his chicken sandwiches at the same pace as other fast food joints served hamburgers.
In 1967, Cathy opened the first-ever Chick-fil-A in one of Atlanta's new shopping centers. Over the following decades, Chick-fil-A expanded by opening restaurants in shopping malls. The first stand-alone restaurant opened in 1986, and Cathy never looked back, growing the company at an impressive rate until he stepped down as company CEO in 2013.
S. Truett Cathy died in 2014 at the age of 93. At the time of his death, Chick-fil-A boasted over 1,800 locations. His own net worth was estimated at $1.9 billion.
Jeannette Cathy (wife of S. Truett)
S. Truett Cathy was survived by his wife Jeannette. She was married to S. Truett for 65 years, and, as a staunch Christian, influenced Chick-fil-A in multiple ways — including the company's famous policy of being closed on Sunday. What's more, Cathy was a leader in both the family's and the company's philanthropy.
One of her greatest successes was founding the WinShape Foundation. This Christian charitable organization, which is still functioning today, runs five core programs designed to transform people's lives. These span from developing personal leadership skills to its own foster care program.
Jeannette Cathy also influenced the members of her own nuclear family greatly. Upon her death, Cathy's son, Dan Cathy, made the following statement to Chick-fil-A: "Our mother has always been the spiritual nucleus and encourager of our family. I can't remember a day when she was not in full support of Dad in his work and vision for the Chick-fil-A business."
Cathy passed away in 2015. Although Jeannette's own personal net worth is not known, Chick-fil-A achieved nearly $7 billion in sales that year.
Dan Cathy (Chick-fil-A's second CEO)
Although no one family member owns Chick-fil-A outright, the power dynamics of corporate businesses demanded that one of S. Truett Cathy's three children were named Chick-fil-A's CEO. That honor fell to Dan Cathy, the eldest of the siblings.
Dan Cathy was named CEO in 2013 and held the post until 2021. Prior to this, Cathy had worked in various roles across the business including a two-year stint managing a Chick-fil-A restaurant. He was later named a franchise selection consultant. During his time as CEO, Cathy found immense success as the company grew at a rapid pace. According to Restaurant Business, between 2013 and 2021, the chain's domestic sales grew from $5 billion to over $16.5 billion.
One of the areas Dan Cathy focused on was customer service, as he explained in an interview with Chief Executive. "We decided that we wanted to differentiate Chick-fil-A against our competition, sustain competitive advantage if we could build it on the uniqueness of the quality of the service," he said. "People are hungry to be treated with honor, dignity and respect. As delicious as our chicken bite sandwiches are, our fresh-squeezed lemonade and those hot waffle fries, people are in greater need of being restored and encouraged from an emotional standpoint."
As of 2023, Forbes calculated Cathy's net worth at $10.6 billion. That fortune makes him the 171st richest person in the world.
Trudy Cathy White (Chick-fil-A ambassador)
Of S. Truett Cathy's three children, Trudy Cathy White is the only woman. Like her two brothers, Cathy White has been closely associated with Chick-fil-A her whole life having managed a store at the age of 19. After this experience, Cathy White focused on other areas of her life, spending 10 years working as a Christian missionary in Brazil.
Like her mother, Cathy White is a keen philanthropist and has co-founded two charities: Lifeshape and Impact 360 Institute. Both charitable organizations lean heavily on the Christian faith to improve and impact the lives of people in the United States and beyond.
Cathy White is an ambassador for Chick-fil-A. Although she has not held a senior management position like her brothers, she maintains the same net worth: $10.8 billion. Forbes claims the trio each received more than a 10% stake in the business from their father, which would explain the siblings' equal net worth.
Bubba Cathy (Chick-fil-A's executive vice president)
Don 'Bubba' Cathy is the second son of S. Truett and Jeannette Cathy. As with his siblings, Cathy was once an operator of a Chick-fil-A restaurant, however it wasn't long until he progressed to senior management. In 1995, Cathy was named senior vice president of Chick-fil-A. His title has since been upgraded to executive vice president, a position he still holds today. As is the case with his siblings, Cathy is worth an astonishing $10.6 billion.
Outside of the immediate Chick-fil-A empire, Cathy is also president of Dwarf House and Truett's Grill, a fast food chain and a brand of three restaurants, respectively. Both Truett's Grill and Dwarf House are brands owned by the wider Chick-fil-A company.
Although dedicated to his work, Cathy sees it as only part of his life. He explained this notion in a talk at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary that was recorded by Baptist Press: "We remind folks that there's more to life than just business. There's more to life than just making money selling sandwiches. We hope to make a difference in people's spiritual life as well."
Andrew Cathy (Chick-fil-A's third CEO)
Andrew Cathy, son of Dan Cathy, became the third CEO in Chick-fil-A's history in September 2021. In a statement to Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy said: "The most successful CEO transitions are made when the next leader is ready to lead. I have every confidence Andrew is ready. As a privately held, family-owned business, Chick-fil-A is able to look at succession through a longer lens and approach a transition like this in a thoughtful and coordinated way. While rare in business today, deliberate, long-term succession planning provides us with stability and continuity at a time of tremendous opportunity."
As with other members of the family, Cathy has held various positions in the Chick-fil-A empire. These include running a restaurant as well as being head of human resources. His tenure as CEO has got off to a good start; domestic sales rose by 13% during 2022, and the company now has over 2,800 restaurants to its name.
Despite wielding the most power in the Chick-fil-A empire, Cathy is not the richest member of the family. Several estimates value his net worth under $10 billion, making him less wealthy than his father, uncle, and aunt.