US fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is aiming to avoid another backlash over its billionaire owners’ anti-gay views when it opens in the UK next year.
Chick-fil-A took down its Facebook ad after just six months when it was targeted by gay rights activists in 2019.
But the Atlanta-based restaurant chain has spoken with the LGBT group Stonewall and other charities in a bid to distance itself from accusations of homophobia.
The company was founded in 1946 by Christian S Truett Cathy, and is the third largest fast food chain in the US by sales.
With more than 3,000 locations in the United States, it has been launched in Canada – where it has also targeted LGBT activists – and Puerto Rico in the past five years.
Despite the popularity of his chicken sandwiches, the comments and donations made by the Cathy family, who still own and operate the business, caused controversy.
Protest: Chick-fil-A shuts down its News site after just six months as gay rights activists target it in 2019
They have previously donated to various organizations associated with anti-LGBT beliefs.
And chairman Dan Cathy, father of chief executive Andrew Cathy, expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage in 2012.
But the business has told Stonewall how to be ‘a bigger workplace’ ahead of another bid to win the UK’s competitive market.
A spokesperson for Stonewall said: ‘We often consult with companies and organizations at different stages on their journey to workplace integration for their employees.
Commentary: Chairman Dan Cathy
‘We have been in discussions with Chick-Fil-A recently about training and services we can provide to support the company in this journey.’
Asked about the controversy ahead of the UK launch, Chick-fil-A vice-president Paul Trotti told the Mail that the company wanted to ‘be inclusive and treat people’ all with honor, dignity and respect’.
The UK launch comes with other challenges including stiff competition from the likes of KFC and Nando’s, as well as new American imports Popeyes and Wingstop.
Chick-fil-A believes its owner-operator franchise model, its focus on fresh food and its Southern hospitality brand set it apart.
Trotti said: ‘The UK’s place in the global market is something we cannot lose sight of as we consider our ambition to become a global business.’
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