Tag: facts

14 Things You Didn’t Know About Chick-fil-A

Even though Chick-fil-A is a beloved fast-casual staple in the United States, parts of it still seem clouded in mystery. So, we did some digging.

14 Things You Didn’t Know About Chick-fil-A:

1. Chick-fil-A originally opened in 1946 as Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia. Eventually, that became Dwarf House.

2. The company rebranded in 1967 to become Chick-fil-A.

3. There are still 13 Chick-fil-A Dwarf House restaurants still operating.

4. The company was founded by S. Truett Cathy who found a pressure-fryer that could cook a chicken sandwich as fast as a hamburger.

5. The first actual Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in 1967 in the food court of the Greenbriar Mall.

6. The company is closed on Sundays because Cathy said, “I was not so committed to financial success that I was willing to abandon my principles and priorities. One of the most visible examples of this is our decision to close on Sunday. Our decision to close on Sunday was our way of honoring God and of directing our attention to things that mattered more than our business.”

7. The Chick-fil-A logo chicken is named Doodles.

8. Employees get a free meal every 5.5 hours of work. And yes, they can have anything on the menu.

9. The “A” stand for “grade A” and top quality.

10. The chicken is never frozen.

11. Currently, Chick-fil-A operates in 47 states. Alaska, Hawaii and Vermont are the three states missing out.

12. Chick-fil-A sauce is just a mix of barbecue, honey mustard and ranch.

13. Most restaurants have a secret menu with a variety of offerings.

14. Chick-fila-A is the largest buyer of peanut oil in the world.

12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ALDI

You know it, you love it– Aldi. Everyone’s favorite discount grocer is also a bit mysterious. You probably know the stores got started in Europe, but how? When?

12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ALDI:

1. Aldi was founded in Germany in 1946 by Karl and Theo Albrecht who took over their mother’s store.

2. The brothers’ parents also came from merchant families, with their mother opening a store in 1914.

3. The brothers introduced Aldi as the company name in 1962.

4. Aldi is a symbolic abbreviation for Albrecht Diskont (you guessed it ‘diskont’ is German for ‘discount’).

5. The brothers split the company into two parts in 1960– Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud over a dispute over whether or not they should sell cigarettes.

6. Aldi opened its first store outside of Germany in the Netherlands in 1973.

7. Aldi currently has over 10,000 stores in 20 countries.

8. Aldi’s custom-branded products fall under the brands Grandessa, Happy Farms, Millville, Simply Nature, and Fit & Active.

9. Aldi is the largest wine retailer in Germany.

10. In 1979, Theo Albrecht bought Trader Joe’s, which originally opened in California in 1967.

11. Trader Joe’s is named after its founder, Joe Coulumbe.

12. The brothers retired as CEOs in 1993.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Walgreens

You aren’t wrong– there does seem to be a Walgreens on just about every corner of every town in America. But, how did they get there? Where did they all come from?

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Walgreens:
  1. Walgreens was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901 by Charles Walgreen.
  2. By 1919 Walgreens had 20 stores and though alcohol was illegal during the 1920s, prescription whiskey was legally sold by the chain.
  3. Walgreens introduced a malted milkshake to its stores in 1922, which led to the establishment of ice cream manufacturing plants. Walgreens takes credit for the popularization of this partially frozen treat invented by Ivar Coulson.
  4. Walgreens stock went public in 1927.
  5. In 1931, Walgreens became the first chain drugstore to advertise on the radio, using Chicago Cubs announcer Bob Elson as the voice of Walgreens.
  6. Walgreens was the first major drugstore to put prescriptions in child-resistant containers in the 1960s.
  7. As of 2018, there were 9,500 stores nationwide. Florida operates the most Walgreens stores with 820.

 

Original Old Fashioned Chocolate Malted Milk Recipe:

  • Use a Frosted Malt Can
  • 1 1/2 oz. Chocolate Syrup
  • 3 – #16 Dips of Vanilla Ice Cream
  • 5 1/2 oz. of Cold Milk
  • Add Malt Powder (One Heaping Tablespoonful)
  • Place On Mixer Only Until Mixed – Do Not Over Mix
  • Use a Generous Portion of Whipped Topping In A #1808 – 10 oz. Glass
  • Pour Malted Milk in Glass Approximately 2/3 Full
  • Serve Remainder Of Malted In A Shaker Along With The Glass To The Guest With Straws and Package of Fountain Treat Cookies

12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Walmart

Walmart, the Sam Walton, Arkansas-based company, has evolved from a chain of small-town stores in the 1960s to a multi-national, Fortune 500 retail behemoth. And though Walmart is in the news fairly often, there are probably a few little things you didn’t know about the company, right?

12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Walmart:

  1. Sam Walton opened his first store, Ben Franklin, in Newport, Arkansas in 1945. Walton opened the first Walmart (actually it was Walmart Discount City) in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962.
  2. The first Walmart outside of Arkansas opened in Missouri in 1968. A store also opened in Oklahoma in the same year.
  3. Walton’s company incorporated in 1969 and changed its name to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in 1970.
  4. People greeters made their first appearance at the front of Walmart stores in 1983.
  5. Most Americans, roughly 90-percent, live within 15 minutes of a Walmart store.
  6. Walmart marked its first $1 billion sales week in 1993.
  7. Walmart launched the Neighborhood Market concept in 1998.
  8. In 2007, Walmart replaced its “Always Low Prices, Always” slogan with “Save money. Live better.”
  9. In 2008, the company officially dropped the hyphen from its name and became Walmart.
  10. In 2017 Walmart acquired Moosejaw and Bonobos.
  11. Today, Walmart has 11,389 stores.
  12. As of 2019, Walmart employs 2.2 million people.

11 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Target

Have you ever walked around a Target and thought to yourself, how did Target start? Is there something in the water in here? Why am I always here? No? Just me? I love to know the story behind iconic brands and these days, it doesn’t get much more iconic than Target. 

11 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Target:

  1. Target actually started out as the Dayton Dry Goods Company in 1903 and shortened its name to the Dayton Company in 1910. It wasn’t until 1962 that under the Dayton company the first Target store opened its doors as an upscale discount retail store in Roseville, Minnesota. (The company didn’t become the Target Corporation until 2000.)
  2. Much like Chick-Fil-A today, the Dayton Company didn’t allow any business on Sundays until the 1950s.
  3. The first Target store outside of Minnesota opened in Glendale, Colorado in 1966. 
  4. The first Target logo was basically a bullseye. 
  5. Target made its first $1 billion in sales in 1979.
  6. Target once opened 11 stores in one day in Chicago.
  7. Target redesigned its shopping carts in 2006. The carts are easier for customers to use and look a little sleeker than other metal carts. 
  8. The Target dog, Bullseye was introduced in 1999.
  9. The first Super Target opened in 1995.
  10. California has the most Target stores with 287; Florida has 123; and Illinois has the third most stores with 94. 
  11. According to AllThingsTarget.com, Target stores follow a strict markdown schedule.
    Monday: electronics, accessories, kids clothing, baby
    Tuesday: women’s clothing, pets, food items
    Wednesday: men’s clothing, health, beauty, diapers
    Thursday: housewares, shoes, toys, sporting goods
    Friday: auto, hardware, jewelry,