According to one of their slogans, they did.
I am, of course, referring to one available in a fast food restaurant.
The general consensus of several American cookbooks published between 1920-1980 suggest the ingredients of the “classic” triple decker club sandwich are:
Toast (white is most often cited, with crust)
Butter/margarine
Lettuce
Tomatoes (sliced)
**Chicken** (cold, sliced)
Mayonnaise
BaconYeah, but could you get that sandwich you mentioned in a fast food place? I think this may be what Chick-fil-a is referring to.
Considering they have only been in business since 1967 and that chicken sandwiches in one form or another, are are least a few hundred years old, that’s a pretty tall claim. They might have some grounds to declare that they invented the first, fast food breaded chicken sandwich.
Chick-fil-a opened in 1985.
1980: McDonald’s introduces the McChicken sandwich, its first poultry item. It flops, and is removed from the menu, but is later reintroduced after Chicken McNuggets prove successful.
How did I miss 1967??
My bad.
Their tradmark application(for chick-fil-a) was filed in 1968 and said they had used the name in commerce since 1964.
They certainly weren’t the first restaurant to offer friend chicken sandwiches. I can find these on menus from 50 different restaurants in 10 different states starting in 1939. So they didn’t invent the concept.