Chick-fil-A LGBTQ+ row explained amid UK launch plans

Controversial US fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, which has a history of funding anti-LGBTQ+ causes, plans to launch restaurants in four UK cities. 

The chicken-sandwich chain announced plans to open sites in Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool and London over the next two years, as part of a long-term commitment to Britain. Previous attempts to move in the UK market failed in the face of public boycotts over the company’s opposition to LGBTQ+ rights. 

To mark the openings, the brand has pledged to donate £25,000 ($33,500) to one local not-for-profit organisation per restaurant.The chain already has more than 3,000 outlets across the US, Puerto Rico and Canada, but the UK branches will be the first outside North America. 

Each restaurant will be locally owned and operated, and head of UK operations, Joanna Symonds, said: “We’ve always cared about the impact of our restaurants on the local communities that we serve, and we strive to positively impact areas throughout the UK.” 

Chick-fil-A’s chief international officer Anita Costello said they were looking forward to bringing “delicious food and signature hospitality” across the pond. “From job creation to supporting local causes, we are excited about the positive impact our first restaurants will have in the communities they serve,” she added.

What was the row between Chick-fil-A and the LGBTQ+ community about?

Chick-fil-A has tried to expand into the UK before, with branches in Reading, Berkshire and the Scottish Highlands, but the chain attracted controversy for its founders support of anti-LGBT+ organisations and the restaurants quickly closed. 

In 2011, it was reported that the Chick-fil-A Foundation had donated almost $3 million (close to £1.9 million at the time) to a group that opposed marriage equality, and, two years later, it was revealed that anti-LGBTQ+ donations had almost doubled.

In 2012, Chick-fil-A’s billionaire chairman Dan Cathy confirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage. He later voiced his regret at getting the company entangled in a controversy surrounding LGBTQ+ rights, but said his views had not changed.

“The bottom line is we have a responsibility to keep the whole of the organisation in mind and it has to take precedence over the personal expression and opinion on social issues,” he said. 

While Cathy promised in 2019 to end donations to anti-LGBT+ causes, he quickly changed his mind. 

In 2021, despite the business announcing two years earlier that it would refrain from donating to anti-LGBTQ+ organisations, it was reported that a number of Christian billionaires, including Cathy, had donated large sums to the National Christian Charitable Foundation, which was said to be pushing for the derailment of the Equality Act.

The first UK Chick-fil-A restaurants are set to open in the new year and will reportedly create about 400 jobs.

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