Fried chicken fanatics have been waiting on American chain Chick-fil-A to launch on this side of the Atlantic for years. A year after teasing a UK launch, now we know that the chicken sandwich connoisseurs will be opening five British restaurants across the next two years. But it’s not the first time the fast-food giant has tried to launch in the UK.
Its first attempt was in 2019 with a branch in Reading. That shut after six months following boycotts, protests and a petition for its closure (the brand denies this was the reason for the closure and argues that it only had a six-month lease as part of a strategy to look at international expansion). Chick-fil-A gave it another go soon after with a three-month pop-up in Aviemore, Scotland but that was also short-lived after significant backlash from campaigners.
But why is this particular chicken chain subject to so much opposition? Well, the Chick-fil-A controversy goes way back to 2012 when it was found to have donated millions of dollars to several anti-LGBTQ Christian organisations and its CEO made public comments opposing same-sex marriage.
Following that, reports emerged of employees allegedly experiencing homophobia in a number of the fast food outlets across the US. Campaigners called for protests and boycotts while anti-‘woke’ right-wingers actively went to eat at the restaurant in support it.
When the company opened its first UK branch, Reading Pride organised protests and said that its ‘ethos and moral stance goes completely against our values, and that of the UK as we are a progressive country that has legalised same-sex marriage for some years and continues to strive towards equality’.
In 2019, shortly before the Reading outlet closed, Chick-fil-A announced that it had stopped funding anti-LGBTQ organisations and would instead focus on charities around education, homelessness and hunger. To mark the UK launches, it has pledged to donate £25,000 to one local not-for-profit per new restaurant.
As part of its ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ policy, it’s worth noting that the company says:
‘Chick-fil-A, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity, equity and inclusion. We make employment decisions on a non-discriminatory basis and remain committed to maintaining work environments free from any form of harassment.
‘It has been and shall continue to be our policy that we do not discriminate in employment decisions or tolerate any form of harassment based upon sex, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, pregnancy, age, physical and mental disability, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status and/or any other status, classification, or factor protected by federal, state, or local law.’
So, will it be forgive and forget? Or could Chick-fil-A meet the same fate as it did five years ago? Watch this space.
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