S Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A chain, who has died, aged 93. Photograph: John Bazemore/AP  S Truett Cathy, the billionaire founder of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain that famously closes on Sundays but also drew attention on gay marriage because of his family's conservative views, has died at the age of 93.  Chick-fil-A spokesman Mark Baldwin said Cathy died at home surrounded by members of his family. Funeral plans had not yet been finalised, he said.  Cathy opened his first diner in an Atlanta suburb in 1946 and by 1967 he had founded and opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta. Over the ensuing decades the chain's boneless chicken sandwich he is credited with inventing would propel Chick-fil-A expansion to more than 1,800 outlets. By early 2013, the company said on its website, annual sales topped $5bn (£3bn) as the chain offered up a taste of the south that went beyond chicken to include such offerings as sweet tea, biscuits and gravy.  Under the religiously conservative founder, the chain gained prominence for its Bible Belt observance of Sunday – none of its hundreds of restaurants is open on that day to allow employees a day of rest – and its executives often said the chain made as much money in six days as its competitors do in seven.  Those religious views helped win Cathy and his family loyal following from conservative customers, but also invited protests when Cathy's son denounced gay marriage.  Cathy's son, Dan, who is chairman and president of the chain, told the Baptist Press in 2012 that the company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family", prompting gay rights groups to call for boycotts and kiss-ins at Cathy's restaurants. The Jim Henson Company pulled its Muppet toys from children's meals, while politicians in Boston and Chicago told the chain it was not welcome there.  Cathy began his career in the restaurant business in 1946 by opening an Atlanta diner with his brother called The Dwarf Grill, which was named for the short and stout shape of the restaurant.  An opportunity in 1961 led to the development of the restaurant chain's trademark chicken sandwich when a company that cooked boneless, skinless chicken for airline meals wanted to sell him pieces that were too big for the airline customer's needs. Cathy took those pieces and cooked them in a pressure cooker and served them in buttered buns.  Even well into his 80s, Cathy was actively involved in the chain's operations, including setting up a contract with his children that said they may sell the privately owned chain in the future but the company must never go public.  The company listed him on its website as its chairman emeritus after he left day-to-day operations to younger generations.
Famously conservative US billionaire, who opened his first diner in 1946, did not allow his restaurants to open on Sundays