Inside franchise operator David Chen’s newly opened Chick-fil-A location at 1660 E. 13th St. hangs a framed rejection letter from his first attempt to become a store operator. Adorned with the ribbon from the eventual grand opening of his first franchise — the popular Southroads Shopping Center location at 4933 E. 41st St. — in 2015, the letter now stands as an inspiration to new employees.
“I want my team members to dream big,” he says. “I am so thankful to be a Chick-fil-A Operator, and this letter serves as a reminder that hard work pays off … It’s a reminder there is a plan.”
While Chen’s life plan initially seemed mapped out toward a career in science, a calling to instead serve people led him to become a missionary in East Asia after graduating from Georgia Tech in 2004. It was during his time overseas that he grew in his faith and learned the value of impacting one person at a time in a city of 25 million. It’s also where he met his future wife, Lynn, a native Oklahoman…