What exactly is a Chick-fil-A Dwarf House?

By DJ VINING

WOODSTOCK, Ga. — Why in the world is Chick-fil-A serving burgers and steaks?  The answer to this question is unknown to many people, but it still tells a fascinating story of a young entrepreneur with a famous fast food chain.

The Chick-fil-A Dwarf House is a unique and quaint restaurant that sets itself apart from every other regular Chick-fil-A store.  The Dwarf House, founded by Truett Cathy, is a modern day version of Truett’s Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia, which was founded in 1946. Behind every Dwarf House, marked by their famous little red door lies a family-friendly environment known for its good customer service.

Originally, chicken was not on the menu at Truett’s Dwarf Grill. The story of the original chicken sandwich began when Cathy created the first Chick-fil-A in the 1960s. The Dwarf House is a combination of a Truett’s Dwarf Grill and Chick-fil-A, which is why the menu includes chicken and beef.

The stores are unique in their own design and can be recognized by anyone driving by.  The buildings are made of brick with red roofs and have dwarf style doors giving them their trademark look.

There are currently 11 Dwarf House locations, and they are all exclusive to Georgia.  For this reason, many long-time lovers of Chick-fil-A enter the store never having seen anything like it before.  Every Dwarf House includes a full-service wait side, a breakfast bar for weekends and holidays and a menu full of items that go against the “Eat mor chikin” slogan.

The Chick-fil-A franchise prides itself on hiring employees who make sure the needs of every customer is met. The Dwarf House is no exception. However, Dwarf House employees, such as wait side supervisor Jon Butler, know and are ready to tell customers what sets them apart from a normal Chick-fil-A.

“While we offer most of the items that the normal Chick-fil-As do, we mix it up a little bit,” Butler said.  “We offer more home-style cooked items like collard greens, mac and cheese, fried okra, things like that that add a little more warmth to our restaurant and make it a little bit more different than a regular Chick-fil-A.”

The vegetable sides are not the only difference. The biggest component of the Dwarf House is its serving beef.

“We also have steaks and burgers because that’s what Truett started out with a long time ago when he had his first restaurant, the Dwarf Grill,” Butler said.

One of the most famous menu items for the Dwarf House is its version of the Hot Brown.  This item is known for being extremely unhealthy, but well worth the calories. It is a bowl of bite-sized pieces of chicken covered in a special cheese gravy, and topped with paprika, bacon, and toast.

The breakfast bar is a comparatively new addition to the store since the first opening in 1946.  Served on the weekends and some holidays, the breakfast bar offers a variety of breakfast items available for all-you-can-eat.

The main goal of the Dwarf House is to create raving fans while giving them exceptional experiences through personal relationships that bring people back again and again.

The owner operator of the Dwarf House in Woodstock is Ron Hammock.  He has held the position ever since the opening of his store in 1993.

“We like to make sure that all of our guests are treated with honor, dignity and respect, and that they at least experience one element from our second-mile service,” Hammock said.

Tiffany Eubanks (left), Jon Butler (center), and owner operator Ron Hammock (right) are all essential parts to making the Dwarf House function properly

Not only does the Dwarf House take care of its customers, it also takes care of its employees.  Tiffany Eubanks has been an employee at the Woodstock Dwarf House for four years.

“Working at the Dwarf House is very fulfilling in the sense that I’m friends with all of the people I work with,” Eubanks said.  “It’s a really good place to build connections and it’s really a sense of family and community.”