Chick-fil-A CEO dances around LGBTQ+ stance after boycott anger
Andrew Cathy, Chick-fil-A CEO (Getty Images)
Chick-fil-A chief executive Andrew Cathy sidestepped questions about the chain’s history of funding organisations opposed to LGBTQ+ equality, telling viewers: “We’re focused on serving everybody that comes in to eat with us.”
Cathy was challenged on NBC’s Today about Chick-fil-A’s controversial record on LGBTQ+ issues, while also being asked for a response to criticism of the brand.
Cathy did not address the specific concerns about the company’s previous donations, or if Chick-fil-A’s position on LGBTQ+ equality had changed.
Instead, he leaned into the customer experience, saying: “For anybody that hasn’t tried us, we’d love for you to come try and have our great-tasting food and the hospitality that we’re known for.”
He added that the chain aimed to serve anyone who came in to dine.
Presenter Craig Melvin pushed back on the answer, implying Cathy did not seem keen to talk about that chapter in the company’s past. Cathy continued to emphasise hospitality and customer service.
In 2019, Chick-fil-A said it would shift its charitable donations towards organisations focused on education, homelessness and hunger. Cathy became chief executive in 2021, taking over from his father.
Chick-fil-A and the church
The interview also touched on Chick-fil-A’s long-standing practice of closing on Sundays. Cathy justified the policy on the grounds that it gives employees a chance to rest, be with their families and, if they want to, go to church.
Chick-fil-A has long been associated with conservative Christian values, including its Sunday closure policy. The company has faced backlash and boycotts over past donations and leadership comments perceived as anti-LGBTQ+.
Chick-fil-A facing protests in the UK
The scrutiny has followed the chain into Britain. In March, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell led a protest outside Chick-fil-A’s first London restaurant in Kingston upon Thames when it opened. Campaigners asked business to give assurances that it would not support organisations opposing LGBTQ+ equality in future.
The Peter Tatchell Foundation alleged that, before the protest, Chick-fil-A had failed to respond to repeated requests for meetings and written assurances, and called on the company to make a public pledge to stop any financial backing for organisations campaigning against LGBTQ+ rights.
Tatchell also cited concerns about historic donations by Chick-fil-A’s charitable arm to groups including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Focus on the Family and the National Christian Charitable Foundation.
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