What's going on with Chick Fil A?

[DFW]

They don't have them here in Europe (as far as I've seen, anyway), and I have never visited one. However, I just got a near-hysterical post from my friend on the nut-case right, Richard Viguerie, in which he weeps and laments a "change of direction" with respect to their Spanish Inquisition points of view.

Besides no longer affiliating themselves with a couple of whacko organizations, I can't tell if their top people have had a change of heart or a change of personnel, but if Richard Viguerie feels strongly enough to rant about them as having lost (to his thinking) their way, maybe that means they have actually had an acute attack of humanity?

Just curious, since this is hardly going to make me get on the first plane to the USA, seek out one of their locations, and eat there.

[DonCoquixote]

1. nope

What happened was is that, despite all the Fox news laments and snipes, the feelings against them did hit their bottom line. I say this as someone who actually likes the food at Cihk fil-a (their sugar free lemonade is a godsend to disbetics) but who stopped eating there because I do not want my momney funding clinics that torture gay kids.

[cos dem]

2. There's one here in Fundyville, USA that continues to do huge business

They have 2 parallel drive-thrus, and they're always packed.
I never go there, for multiple reasons. I've never actually tried them, because I rarely do fast-food anyway.

[getagrip_already]

3. nothing good...

Day 1: they announced they would no longer support whacko organisations that promote anti-lgbt efforts. They mentioned a desire to move into new areas like new england and europe.

Day 3: They said "never mind" after a right wing backlash. They will continue to support these groups.


Typical week in crazy land.

[Aristus]

4. It was your friend's weeping and lamenting that convinced Chik-Fil-A to go:

"Gracious! Did we do that?" with regard to no longer donating to anti-LGBTQ organizations. They've resumed donating to the haters.

I guess the gravy-train to Torturegayville is back on track...

[TeamPooka]

5. Popeyes chicken sandwich. Forget the burger wars

Popeyes chicken sandwich. Forget the burger wars
There’s a chicken sandwich war going on in Americus fast food restaurants right now Popeyes Wendy’s Kentucky fried chicken, and Chick-fil-A realized their political stance was preventing them from winning that war.
They know if they can eliminate the protest, they can win the fried chicken sandwich wars that are going on right now in Americus fast food business.

[DFW]

13. We don't have Popeye's here, either

In a country where you can get a chicken döner kebap or a dürüm for €4, where you can get your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, feta, tzatziki and onions added for free, few prefer the packaged fast food that seems to be the norm in North America.

[UniteFightBack]

21. We got that too. nt

[donkeypoofed]

6. I got all excited they're opening in Golden Nugget in Vegas

And then I learned of their CEO's bad attitude and will go elsewhere for food.

So what's this all about? They've fired that CEO? I don't care if they only did it to help sales and kept him on anyways - either he goes or I don't go (to Chick Fil A).

[JHB]

7. Forget it, DFW, it's Viguerie

If I had to take a guess, I'd say someone close to the owners came out. But that's unrelated to the hyperbole.

As you no doubt know (I caught that "good friend" ) but I'm reiterating for those who may not recognize the name and it's connections, Richie V is one of the architects of using hyperbolic "find people's hot buttons and mash them for every cent you can get" inflammatory rhetoric for fundraising, and has been doing so since at least the 70's using early versions of what we now call data mining. He's one of the people who helped launch the Moral Majority and started the process of getting evangelicals worked up over abortion (instead of being leery of the subject -- opposing abortion was seen as a "Catholic thing", and they wouldn't want the neighbors to think they were "papists," eh?), etc.

He's one of the conservative zealots who turned the GOP base into the gullible herd animal it has become.

If a sliding door slipped off its track, Viguerie would declare it completely smashed.

[DFW]

12. Richard is the original fanatic right wing nut case

It's maddening that someone as crazy as he can be a charming nice guy who truly knows how, as he likes to say, "leave his guns at the door." I am under no illusions, though. If Torquemada were reincarnated as President of the United States, Richard would be his chief of staff. I am his friendly crazy "libbrul." Neither of us is about to change the other's mind at this point, and neither of us tries. I am not his only acquaintance on the left either. A true Machiavellian, he is not at all reluctant to listen to how the other side thinks.

One encouraging thing--he recently offered an instruction course on how to be an extremist right wing activist like himself. Usually these things cost an arm and a leg, but this time, it was offered for free. Either Richard is starting to feel his age (he is a very robust 86), or there is less interest out there in being an active member of the lunatic fringe (we can only hope).

[MurrayDelph]

8. They HAD one in England

It closed within a month due to protests.

That's the reason they're going to be more covert: put on a better public face, while still being evil in the background.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. Don't know. Personally don't care.

There are closer fast food options to me than Chik Fil A.

So regardless of politics, if I need fast food, I really don't see the purpose of going all the way to a Chik Fil A.

And honestly, I've always enjoyed chicken on the bone over chicken sandwiches, anyways.

[sdfernando]

10. Don't kid yourself

Last edited Tue Nov 26, 2019, 03:54 PM - Edit history (1)

The was a purely Capitalistic decision. No one at the top has changed their view on anything....just seems that they realized they like money more than their principles. So we all now know what they worship....and it ain't Jesus!

[DFW]

11. In this case, spelling makes a big difference

Did you really mean "their principals" or "their principles?"

[sdfernando]

14. LOL....yes it does! Fixed it. /NT

[DFW]

15. I thought it made more sense that way

I had to ask.

[sir pball]

16. But...they've never been more financially successful than now.

They just broke $10 billion in sales, which makes them a huge winner in the fast-food space and puts them at #5 overall - and their per-store sales numbers are almost unbelievable (2017/2018 numbers, the full 2019 report isn't out yet). They pull in over 40% more per store than Whataburger, their closest competitor.

There's absolutely public sentiment against them but it's also clearly not translating into any kind of financial problems. Maybe people talk more than they act, maybe the Fundie "counter-boycott" worked, but whatever the reason, they're definitely not hurting over the issue.

[Igel]

17. The guy at the top that was responsible

died.

He changed his views, you could say.

The rest didn't much care.

The "anti-LGBT" organizations typically devote a small bit of their attention to LGBTQ issues, at best. My high school campus has a chapter of one of them. There are gay members. Oddly, the gay members seem unaware of what must be horrible levels of vitriol hurled at them ... not. They're told to be celibate. But you know what? The organization is equally heterophobic, because it tells the same thing to the straight guys.

Yet the news is how these were anti-LGBTQ "lobbying" or "activist" organizations. Sort of like saying Burger King is an activist vegetarian lobbying organization because on its menu is a veggie burger.

They remain closed on Sundays.

[FreeState]

20. They have already backtracked

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/11/19/chick-fil-a-backtracks-anti-lgbt-donations/

Chick-fil-A appears to have backtracked on its decision to end donations to charities that discriminate against LGBT+ people.

The chicken chain, which has a long history of donations to lobbying groups that oppose LGBT+ rights, signalled on Monday that it would end donations to charities that discriminate against LGBT+ people, after a sustained international boycott.

[Mc Mike]

18. Guess 'christian' bigots with short attention spans didn't wind up being the ideal consumer

demographic to target.

[NCLefty]

19. Either way, I'll wait 5-10 years to assess what they've done or not done before even considering

going there.