Chick-fil-A’s youngest Black Franchise Owner Ashely Lamothe

HBCU graduate Ashely Lamothe set the record of becoming Chick-Fil-A’s youngest Black franchise owner in 2011, at the age of 26.

Lamothe started working at the restaurant chain at the age of 15. Years later, she has saved enough to become her own boss in the same chain she had worked as a child. Lamothe said she had grown to love the chain so much that when she had to go to college, she chose to work at one of Chick-Fil-A’s locations just outside of the Spelman College campus. She served as a director on the leadership team.

“At the time, I thought it was just a great job to have while pursuing my degree in theatre,” said Lamothe, in an interview with Black Business.

After Lamothe’s restaurant Operator asked her about her long-term goals, she realized that her goals were bigger than just having a “great job.” This led to her changing her course of study to economics and began a career pursuit in that line.

“I’d never considered. Sometimes you just need someone to help you see your potential,” Lamothe said.

What started as a small franchise is gradually growing into a bigger business. Lamothe’s first restaurant was located across the street from the University of California, and her second restaurant would be located in downtown Los Angeles. She has also managed to build her team of workers and leaders.

“Meet Tia. Meet Brandon,” Lamothe wrote in an Instagram post. “Tia & Brandon are two of the newest leaders on our leadership team. If you’re looking for personal growth & development opportunities, want a career in the restaurant and hospitality industry, want to be a Chick-fil-A Operator or want to help lead a team – you know where to find me!”

The young franchise owner said at this point she is more interested in building her team, and she’s passionate about helping “them get to where they want to go, whether it’s a career with Chick-Fil-A, or studying law or medicine, or anything.”

In addition to her business success, Chick-fil-A awarded the young franchise owner with the Symbol of Success award, an honor reserved for the company’s Operators who had high sales growth in their businesses.