# Chow Down at Chik-fil-A **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683 "2012-04-13T18:09:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/21 "2012-04-14T09:14:17Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > [Here](http://www.allbusiness.com/franchising/16713835-1.html) [you](http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/52888536-78/gay-chick-family-fil.html.csp) [go](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/01/chick-fil-a-donated-anti-gay-groups-2009_n_1069429.html). I’m not sure that I get the outrage. Of course, I’m on the other side of the Atlantic. From the articles, they’re donating to groups that promote heterosexuality and the nuclear family. Is gay-bashing the primary activity of these groups? Or do they concentrate on promoting heterosexuality and the nuclear family, with a gay-bashing fringe? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/22 "2012-04-14T09:53:51Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I’m not sure that I get the outrage. Of course, I’m on the other side of the Atlantic. > > From the articles, they’re donating to groups that promote heterosexuality and the nuclear family. Is gay-bashing the primary activity of these groups? Or do they concentrate on promoting heterosexuality and the nuclear family, with a gay-bashing fringe? I don’t know about those groups specifically, but, in general, groups that claim that goal are really about discouraging homosexuality. Names for organizations usually take a positive name over here. Compare pro-life instead of anti-abortion. EDIT: I guess I should say anti-gay marriage rather than anti-gay. It is when same sex marriage became possible that these groups started popping up all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/23 "2012-04-14T09:57:13Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I’m not sure that I get the outrage. Of course, I’m on the other side of the Atlantic. > > From the articles, they’re donating to groups that promote heterosexuality and the nuclear family. Is gay-bashing the primary activity of these groups? Or do they concentrate on promoting heterosexuality and the nuclear family, with a gay-bashing fringe? Or, as I should have added, do they actually gay-bash at all? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/24 "2012-04-14T10:00:30Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t know about those groups specifically, but, in general, groups that claim that goal are really about discouraging homosexuality. Names for organizations usually take a positive name over here. Compare pro-life instead of anti-abortion. I’m less concerned about their names than about my ignorance of what they do. > [@](#): > > EDIT: I guess I should say anti-gay marriage rather than anti-gay. It is when same sex marriage became possible that these groups started popping up all over the place. Prejudice against gays goes back millennia; it’s wrong. But so is prejudice against heterosexuals. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/25 "2012-04-14T14:23:10Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > But the Chik-Fil-A near me kind of creeps me out. It feels so…[del]Mormon[/del] Stepford. They’re _too_ nice and happy and pleasant. I’m fully aware that I’m projecting, but I always get the feeling that I’m walking into a Happy Christian Family Place and my Jewy single male self stands out like a sore thumb. Admittedly Chik-fil-A does have a different atmosphere from a lot of other fast food places. I have never encountered a rude employee, a dirty restaurant or witnessed unpleasant behavior on the part of customers at a Chik-fil-A restaurant. I’ve found the experience to be pretty pleasant compared to other fast food restaurants. Are you uncomfortable in other happy and pleasant environments or just this one? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/26 "2012-04-14T14:29:00Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > It’s been well-documented in the media that Chick-Fil-A have a strongly anti-gay bias (along with pretty much every other company that closes on Sundays). I chose to take my dollar elsewhere YEARS ago. I heard about the corporation’s philosophy before they opened any stores in my area, so I’ve never been in one! ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/27 "2012-04-14T14:29:57Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Sean Hayes (Jack on _Will and Grace_ )was on Letterman the other night and told a story about how he got food poisoning from Chik-fil-A. Coincidence? I think not 😉 > > I’m mostly joking but a small part of me wonders why he would eat there and if the story is true or not. I assume he didn’t do anything illegal by mentioning their name and maybe he was taking a sly swipe at them(?) I ate at a Chik-fil-A once and couldn’t stop shitting and puking until I went to the ER. They did the “where/what have you eaten in the last 48 hours” and they traced it back to bad hygiene practices by the employees at the Chik-fil-A. Yup. E-coli all over food handling/prep areas. So my message to Chik-fil-A: “Why don’t y’all take some of the energy and effort you expend on hating on teh gay, and apply it towards some BASIC FUCKING HYGIENE?” ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/28 "2012-04-14T16:39:23Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > . . . > > But the Chik-Fil-A near me kind of creeps me out. It feels so…[del]Mormon[/del] Stepford. They’re _too_ nice and happy and pleasant. I’m fully aware that I’m projecting, but I always get the feeling that I’m walking into a Happy Christian Family Place and my Jewy single male self stands out like a sore thumb. > > So that, combined with the anti-gay funding, is making me avoid the place again. It’s not just you. I used to go quite a bit, because it’s nearby and the kids like it. After a few visits, you notice that whenever you say “thank you” to an employee, they respond, “My pleasure!” It got to the point that whenever they said that, I’d have a mental image of a Chick Fil A Employee Reeducation Center, where they monitor trainee speech constantly, and anyone who says “You’re Welcome” gets jolted with a cattle prod. Seriously, it makes me sad that they can’t just be “Yay Jesus,” but have to go out of their way to fund a hate group (Family Research Council) and anti-gay organizations, because they really do offer excellent customer service, along with a nice place for the kids to play when it’s rainy. They even recently introduced kids meals with grilled chicken nuggets and other healthy options. Why do they have to be evil?! ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/29 "2012-04-14T22:48:33Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > They did the “where/what have you eaten in the last 48 hours” and they traced it back to bad hygiene practices by the employees at the Chik-fil-A… I find this remark very interesting and a bit unrealistic (unless you had Dr. House on your case). mmm ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/30 "2012-04-14T23:07:10Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Admittedly Chik-fil-A does have a different atmosphere from a lot of other fast food places. I have never encountered a rude employee, a dirty restaurant or witnessed unpleasant behavior on the part of customers at a Chik-fil-A restaurant. I’ve found the experience to be pretty pleasant compared to other fast food restaurants. Are you uncomfortable in other happy and pleasant environments or just this one? No, I’m just a miserable son of a bitch who hates happiness. :dubious: Like I said, it’s that Chik-Fil-A is Stepford-esque, where the saccharine pleasantness is over the top and, to me, fake and forced. There’s a Japanese chain here in town with Biblical verses on the walls and which closes on Sunday, but I go and eat there because I don’t feel like I’m stepping into Creepy Christian County. I go to other restaurants with _genuinely_ cheerful employees and I like eating at those places and chatting with the employees and such. There’s a place in town that I loved going to because the employees so clearly loved working there, and as management changed and the pleasant atmosphere died down, I find myself going less and less. But Chik-Fil-A’s pleasantness doesn’t seem genuine, or at least it’s a pleasantness that wasn’t intended for me, being a single childless male without blond hair and blue eyes and a fish on my car’s bumper. And again, I acknowledge that could be entirely my own projection. I still don’t really want to eat there any more. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/31 "2012-04-15T13:30:09Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I find this remark very interesting and a bit unrealistic (unless you had Dr. House on your case). > mmm Apologies if my poorly worded post led you to believe that I was the sole case of gastroenteritis in the predominantly rural county this particular eastablishment was. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/32 "2012-04-16T06:52:00Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > Eat more kale. I see someone beat me to it. In case anyone here is wondering what kale has to do with Chik-fil-A, [here is the story in a nutshell](http://www.change.org/petitions/chick-fil-a-stop-bullying-small-business-owners). ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/33 "2012-04-16T08:41:21Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I see someone beat me to it. > > In case anyone here is wondering what kale has to do with Chik-fil-A, [here is the story in a nutshell](http://www.change.org/petitions/chick-fil-a-stop-bullying-small-business-owners). HA, my second mother was all excited about this, and there was even an article in the Globe. The Eat More Kale guy is at a folk fest I attend. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/34 "2012-04-16T18:36:54Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Apologies if my poorly worded post led you to believe that I was the sole case of gastroenteritis in the predominantly rural county this particular eastablishment was. I had the distinct impression that you were not the first person who had come in that day or night, complaining of a bellyache. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/35 "2012-04-16T21:02:04Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I had the distinct impression that you were not the first person who had come in that day or night, complaining of a bellyache. Looking over my (admitedly hastily posted) original post, I can easily see how anyone reading it might think that I told the ER people that I had just eaten at a Chik-fil-A the day before, and that they had immediately launched an investigation on my say-so and closed down the restaurant the very next day. I couldn’t say how many, if any, cases came in that night. I wouldn’t even say that my case was investigated at all. I was visiting from out-of-town (working, actually) when it happened, and one of my coworkers (who was local) emailed me a few months later, after I had moved on to a different project site, about that particular restaurant because it made the local news. He made sure to mention to me that the news had reported that they were investigated due to cases of food poisoning at local hospitals that were traced back to that particular restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/36 "2012-04-17T03:06:05Z")
Don’t give a fuck either way. I don’t eat their much (I can’t remember the last time, actually) but I also won’t go out of my way not to eat there either. If I boycotted every company whose donations I disagreed with, I wouldn’t buy anything anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![oliversarmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb8c5e/32.png) [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/37 "2012-04-17T03:22:00Z")
I certainly agree that no one should ever spend their money at any establishment, business or industry that might slight strong-held beliefs. Voting with dollars may not be efficient, but it at least can affect corporate decisions at some point while providing a sense of satisfaction for doing the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/38 "2012-04-17T13:40:32Z")
I’d eat there more often, but the drive-through line at lunchtime usually winds all the way around the building and into the parking area. I only get an hour for lunch, I don’t want to spend 40 minutes in line. I guess the boycott isn’t working around these parts. They also have sugar-free lemonade which is delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/39 "2012-04-17T14:01:20Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I’d eat there more often, but the drive-through line at lunchtime usually winds all the way around the building and into the parking area. I only get an hour for lunch, I don’t want to spend 40 minutes in line. I guess the boycott isn’t working around these parts. I don’t eat there because I’m not much impressed with the sandwich, but the boycott makes a good back up reason. As for the quoted text - you could park your car and go inside. You’d save time, gas, and get a bit of exercise. It seems like most places don’t have a lot of counter business at lunch. People waiting in a long drive-thru line is one of my puzzlements. I got stuck at Sonic once (where the nice people will bring the food to your car) when I (foolishly) parked in a slot next to the building and the drive thru line backed up and blocked me in. I’m not even sure why Sonic has a drive-thru. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683/40 "2012-04-17T15:48:21Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I’d eat there more often, but the drive-through line at lunchtime usually winds all the way around the building and into the parking area. I only get an hour for lunch, I don’t want to spend 40 minutes in line. I guess the boycott isn’t working around these parts. > > They also have sugar-free lemonade which is delicious. It’s amazing how quickly that line moves. You barely have to use your brakes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chow-down-at-chik-fil-a/618683.md?page=3)