Would You Like Fries With That?

Chick-fil-A employee Luke Marasco got the surprise of his life when the company’s CEO showed up at the Monroeville restaurant.

In March, Luke Marasco was working his normal shift, and had been told ahead of time that camera crews from Chick-fil-A corporate were coming to the restaurant to talk to employees for a promotion. Each one would be interviewed for about five minutes.

While the crew was interviewing him, he noticed a crowd gathering but just thought the restaurant was getting busy. Then, suddenly, the CEO of Chick-fil-A, Andrew T. Cathy, walked up to him. The company was presenting him with a check for a $25,000 scholarship! It was only then he noticed that “the crowd” that had gathered was made up of his parents, siblings and friends.

“My mom and dad cried,” says Luke. They were very proud of him for being chosen as one of only 14 employees selected for this level of scholarship in the entire United States and Canada.

His parents actually had been informed in January that Luke was going to receive it, but were not allowed to tell anyone about it. Somehow, they managed to keep it under wraps. More challenging was when the big day rolled around and Luke told his mother that he was feeling quite tired. Though he was still planning on going to work anyway, she quickly went into high gear and started trying to revive him with food, coffee and pretty much anything to give him energy and prevent him from calling off for the day. Needless to say, he was feeling much more energetic after receiving the check.

Though Luke was one of only 14 to receive the big scholarship, Chick-fil-A awards smaller amounts to 14,000 employees, totaling $26.4 million!

Luke is enrolled at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, majoring in Leadership Studies with a focus in Christian Ministry. He attends remotely, which is more cost-effective and allows him to continue to work at Chick-fil-A.

Luke was inspired by his mother, who also works in ministry, to become a pastor. He was only 12 years old when he made this decision. Several months ago, he was somewhat uneasy about how he was going to finance his college tuition to make his dream come true. He prayed and fasted about it, and after he ended his fast, Chick-fil-A called his parents just two days later to inform them Luke had been chosen. He only learned of the divine timing after receiving the check.

His selection was based on his grades, but also his community service hours, which were considerable since he volunteers at his church on a regular basis.

He will celebrate his three-year anniversary at Chick-fil-A in May, a place that he almost overlooked when choosing a place of employment. But a friend had encouraged him to apply at the restaurant.

“It’s an awesome place to work on just a day-to-day basis. The managers really pitch in and help. But more than that, they truly do invest in your future,” explains Luke. One of the managers, Johnny Carr, is the person who told him about the scholarship possibilities and encouraged him to apply. “Without even realizing it, he has taught me so much about leadership, just by watching him.”

The restaurant’s franchisee, Brian Wenger, is another person Luke looks up to. “He connects with all the workers, and we have a lot of employees. He not only knows their name, he knows about their lives and what’s important to them.”

Even the company’s CEO, Andrew Cathy, took the time to talk to everyone when he visited the Monroeville location. “He was very intentional about making sure he connected with everyone,” says Luke, and he spent a great deal of time there.

After receiving the check, Luke was also presented with a new Mac computer (wrapped in a giant Chick-fil-A sauce packet). He’ll receive leadership training in Atlanta as well, with three all-inclusive trips, where he’ll be assigned a mentor—and that’s not chicken feed!