She is one happy chick.
A New Jersey Chick-fil-A employee was surprised by the fast-food chain’s CEO, who walked into the store this week and handed her a $25,000 scholarship check.
Yammani Tay, who works at the company’s North Bergen location, believed CEO Andrew T. Cathy was visiting the restaurant on Tuesday to film a behind-the-scenes promotional video, according to the Daily Voice.
However, the nursing student at Fairleigh Dickinson University was shocked to learn that he was there to reward her with the scholarship — only given to 13 Chick-fil-A employees nationwide through the chain’s Remarkable Futures Scholarships program.
The restaurant franchise known for its breaded chicken sandwich — which was founded in 1946 by a devout Southern Baptist and closes on Sundays due to its religious values — is investing $29 million in scholarships this year.
Since launching the program in 1973, Chick-fil-A — which has over 3,000 restaurants in 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Canada — has given out $244 million in scholarship money.
Tay graduated in the Top 10 of her high school class at Jose Marti STEM Academy in Union City, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She has been with Chick-fil-A since 2023, starting as a part-timer and making her way up to front of house trainer and then a full-time shift lead.
The store posted a photo of Tay and Cathy on its Instagram page this week, holding the massive check.
“Yamanni, your leadership, dedication and heart for others make our restaurant better every single day. We are incredibly proud of you and honored to celebrate this life-changing moment with you,” the store captioned the post.
“Yamanni … the future is bright, and we can’t wait to keep watching you be remarkable.”
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