Franchise Focus

Chick-fil-A franchisee has passion for sustainability, customer service

Caitlin Chavez is a Chick-fil-A franchisee in Puerto Rico. Chavez is dedicated to the brand, focusing on quality, customer service and sustainability.

Photo: Chick-fil-A

August 30, 2024 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Caitlin Chavez, the owner of a thriving Chick-fil-A franchise in Puerto Rico, has come a long way since her humble beginnings with the brand. Starting as a teenager, she quickly discovered a passion for the company's commitment to quality food and customer service.

Caitlin Chavez. Photo: Chick-fil-A

Over the years, Chavez worked her way up through the ranks, gaining valuable experience in various roles, from cashier to international trainer. Her dedication and hard work earned her recognition and opportunities for advancement. Eventually, she realized her dream of owning her own Chick-fil-A franchise.

Today, Chavez is a successful business owner who has not only built a thriving restaurant but has also become a mentor and inspiration to her team. She attributes her success to her unwavering commitment to Chick-fil-A's values, her belief in the power of teamwork, and her passion for providing exceptional customer experiences.

But that's not the end of Chavez's story. Sustainability is important to the franchisee, so she does something extraordinary with her extra lettuce at the end of the week. More on that later.

Making Chick-fil-A home

Chavez first started working for the chicken brand in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as a part time team member.

When she went to college, she was working as a lifeguard and looking for another job to help pay for college. A Chick-fil-A franchise was opening just a few miles away from the University of Chattanooga where she was studying, so she went back to the brand as a team member.

As a nursing student, she planned to work there part time, but "Chick-fil-A ended up just completely changing my life for the better," Chavez said. She worked her way up through the leadership ranks, finishing as an executive director for the franchisee she worked for.

Chavez had changed her major several times and took a year off school. She didn't know what she wanted to do, she said, but her operator encouraged her to stay with Chick-fil-A and asked if she'd considered being a franchisee.

At first, Chavez said no way — the selection process was too rigorous. But she was considering it, so she went back to college, changed her major to business, "and it all just clicked," she said.

She did some grand openings for the support center before applying and being accepted into Chick-fil-A's Leadership Development Program where executives travel the country for grand openings.

Her first touch with international Chick-fil-A operations happened in Canada, where she served as a trainer. She applied and was chose to be the first franchisee to open a Chick-fil-A in Puerto Rico, which she did in 2022. (There are now six on the island.)

The reception was "wild" in Puerto Rico, Chavez said. "I had experienced some of this in Canada because in Canada the reception was pretty good as well. The lines just went on for hours."

Puerto Ricans are community focused, Chavez explained, and family oriented. Residents love to sit down and have meals together. The drive-thu line went into the neighboring county and interior lines were two-hours long.

"It was incredibly overwhelming in the best way," Chavez said. "We were overwhelmed because the volume was intense, but the excitement around finally having Chick-fil-A in Puerto Rico – it's still there."

Chick-fil-A franchisee Caitlin Chavez feeds manatees excess lettuce from her restaurant. Photo: Chick-fil-A

Chavez and the manatees

Growing up partly in South Florida, Chavez said her favorite animals were manatees. When she was younger, she batted around the idea of becoming a marine biologist, and she wanted to save the manatees.

Her husband took her on a visit to the Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center in Puerto Rico. While there, she saw a truck bringing in produce to the CMCC for the manatees.

"I asked 'Do you guys take donations?' and they said 'Yes!'" Chavez said. She realized she was throwing away several hundred pounds of excess romaine and green leaf lettuce from the restaurant every week. Wouldn't it be better to donate it to the center for the manatees?

The person who prepares all the lettuce for the day separates all the scraps into bins in the walk-in cooler at the restaurant.

"We collect that throughout the week, and then we drive it over on Saturdays," Chavez said.

Chavez said manatees eat about 700 pounds of lettuce a day, and although she donates 200 pounds a week, it's a small part to play in both conservation and sustainability. It makes both Chavez and her team feel like they're doing something good for the island and the manatees. Even guests will compliment Chavez on the manatee work.

"I feel so incredibly grateful to get to do this every single day. Filling our community's cup has been so special," she added. "Puerto Rico is a beautiful island and conservation is a big deal to them."

About Mandy Wolf Detwiler

Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.

An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living.

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