Chick-fil-A is working with Stonewall ahead of third attempt to launch in the UK
The move is just one of many efforts by Chick-fil-A to repair its reputation within the queer community.
By Gary Grimes
Controversial US restaurant chain Chick-fil-A is reportedly working with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall as it prepares to launch fives new sites in the UK from early next year.
The fried chicken chain has courted much criticism in the past due to its historical donations to anti-gay organisations and the anti-same-sex marriage views of its CEO Dan T. Cathy. The company’s first stab at the UK market in 2019 ended with its site in Reading closing after just six months following significant backlash in the area including protests lead by Reading Pride.
The company also launched a restaurant in the Scottish Highlands that year which also shuttered mere months after opening following a petition signed by 1,200 people calling for its closure.
In the hope that third time’s the charm, the chain is said to be getting ahead of the issue this time around by working with Stonewall to understand how to be ‘a more inclusive workplace,’ as per Thisis Money.
“We frequently have conversations with companies and organisations at various stages on their journey to becoming more inclusive workplaces for their employees,” a spokesperson for Stonewall said.
“We have had some recent conversations with Chick-Fil-A about the training and services we could provide to support the company on this journey.”
The move is just one of many efforts the company has made to repair its reputation within the queer community. In 2019, its president Tim Tassopoulos announced the company would no longer donate to any organisations which held anti-LGBTQ+ positions. Chick-fil-A had previously given money to organisations which supported the fight against equal marriage in the US and also supported anti-LGBTQ conversion therapy, the scientifically-debunked practise of trying to change a person’s sexuality and/or gender identity.
The company’s international vice president Paul Trotti recently told the Daily Mail: “The UK place in the world market is something that we absolutely can’t ignore as we think about wanting to be a global business.”