The story behind Chick-fil-A’s new digital cookbook

 

Featuring recipes inspired by the Shared Table program 

 

Introducing Extra Helpings: Inspiring Stories and Imaginative Recipes from Chick-fil-A Shared Table^®, a cookbook inspired by the Chick-fil-A Shared Table^® program and the food donation program’s hundreds of nonprofit partners across the U.S. and Canada. 

We created our first digital cookbook to help raise awareness about food insecurity and the importance of reducing food waste, while also establishing a platform to celebrate the nonprofit partners working to make an impact in the local communities that Chick-fil-A^® restaurants serve. Available for free online, the goal is to encourage at-home cooks to consider how they can repurpose their kitchen leftovers instead of tossing them in the trash. 

The release of this cookbook honors the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program and the nearly 2,000 participating Chick-fil-A restaurants and their nonprofit partners, who have created over 23 million meals from donated surplus food since the program’s inception in 2012.  

“While Chick-fil-A restaurants follow a ‘cook less, more often’ approach to help minimize surplus food in restaurants, they still occasionally have some excess food at the end of shifts – which is why so many local Owner-Operators engage in Chick-fil-A Shared Table to ensure it doesn’t go to waste,” says Matt Lingerfelt, a senior program lead in our corporate social responsibility department. “What has surprised us about these Chick-fil-A food donations is the level of creativity that our nonprofit partners put into incorporating them into original and innovative meals for those in need.”  

Recipes and stories from Chick-fil-A Shared Table partners 

Across the U.S. and Canada, nonprofit partners transform donated Chick-fil-A^® food items – which often include quality Chick-fil-A proteins (like filets, nuggets and eggs), as well as surplus biscuits and prepped items like salads and fruit cups – into creative and delicious dishes. Examples include chicken and dumplings, chicken parmesan, tacos and enchiladas, fruit smoothies, waffle fry frittatas, ice cream cakes and more – many of which are featured in the cookbook. 

Our Extra Helpings cookbook also includes information about how donations from local Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators make an impact through the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program, with stories from nonprofit partners about how they care for food-insecure families and individuals in their communities. 

“It’s inevitable that we will have unsold products and it hurts me to throw this ‘waste’ into the trash when so many people need food and nourishment,” says local Owner-Operator Marshall Wilkins, whose donations to Knox Area Rescue Ministries in Knoxville, TN, inspired the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program. “This program mirrors our brand’s philosophy to take care of others and this cookbook is just a great extension of that idea.” 

Food waste impacts all of us 

Food insecurity is a significant problem—nearly every community in the U.S. and Canada has families that do not have enough to eat. In fact, 9 million children in the U.S. alone are food insecure. At the same time, food waste is also a big issue. According to Feeding America, 40% of all food in America—about 119 billion pounds—is wasted every year. 

The Chick-fil-A Shared Table program helps Operators fight food insecurity and reduce food waste by donating food from their restaurants to local soup kitchens, food shelters and nonprofits feeding neighbors in need. These efforts support a Chick-fil-A, Inc. corporate social responsibility goal to divert more than 25 million pounds of restaurant food waste from landfills by 2025. 

Nearly 2,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants spanning 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada are engaged in the program, which continues to grow.