S. Truett Cathy was on fire last night at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's annual Salute to Excellence. His acceptance speech for the 2010 Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality distinction was at turns heartfelt and sincere, insightful and informative.But I had no idea how funny the man is. He had two pretty good jokes in his remarks, the first of which dealt with Chick-fil-A's well-known decision to close all its restaurants on Sundays. Sure, it helps the chain not only to further its mission to glorify God and helps crew members achieve a healthy work-life balance, Cathy said, but also "when you work 24 hours a day for six days a week, you could really use a break."
And when Cathy recounted growing up in the depths of the Great Depression, his comic timing had more than a few foodservice executives guffawing and slapping their tables. "I don't remember having anything to play with except a loose tooth," Cathy said, "and it wasn't even mine — it was my brother's."
