Unlike the other brands ranked, Chick-fil-A explicitly appeals to believers by invoking God in its mission statement. The restaurant, founded by Southern Baptist businessman Truett Cathy in 1967, sets out, “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”

You could say Chick-fil-A is one of those fast-food restaurants with a cult following. But in this case, the closed-on-Sunday chicken sandwich chain clearly has a church following.

Evangelicals and fellow Christians have the most positive view of the Chick-fil-A brand, according to Morning Consult’s 2017 Community Impact Ratings.

In breakout poll results provided to CT, 62 percent of evangelicals considered Chick-fil-A to have a positive impact on their community, compared to 48 percent of Americans on average.

Despite the 2012 boycotts spurred by Chick-fil-A COO Dan Cathy’s opposition to same-sex marriage, the Christian-owned company outperformed fellow fast food restaurants in the Morning Consult poll. This was particularly true in the South, home to a majority of its 2,200 locations, as well as among millennials.

More than half of adults ages 18–34 and 35–44 rated Chick-fil-A as having a positive impact, while older age brackets were less enthusiastic.

A researcher at The Hartman Group attributed Chick-fil-A’s continued popularity to beliefs that the chain had “higher-quality food, better customer service and happier employees than similar fast-food restaurants.”

Evangelicals were more likely than the average American to see several top quick-service restaurants as having a positive impact on their communities, including KFC, Starbucks, and McDonald’s.

And despite some evangelicals’ outcry over Target’s transgender-friendly bathroom policy last year, most evangelicals overall see the store as having a positive impact (60%)—almost as many as for Chick-fil-A (62%).

Unlike the other brands ranked, Chick-fil-A explicitly appeals to believers by invoking God in its mission statement. The restaurant, founded by Southern Baptist businessman Truett Cathy in 1967, sets out, “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”

A recent parody rap video “My Pleasure to Serve You” showcases Chick-fil-A’s Christian-tinged distinctives, like its smiley homeschooled cashiers, customers’ Bible studies gatherings, and employees’ much-repeated line, “My pleasure.”

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