Is Chick-fil-A anti-gay? CC by Horia Varlan/Flickr

Popular restaurant chain Chick-fil-A is being protested over donations to a religious organization with an anti-gay rights agenda. A Pennsylvania location of Chick-fil-A provided catering to a marriage seminar put on by a conservative evangelical group that is hostile to LGBT causes. Several colleges have student groups demanding the restaurant be banned from campus for promoting discriminatory messages.

Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A causes protests

Because of the rumor that Chick-fil-A has an anti-gay agenda, the company is facing controversy, says The New York Times. It was disclosed that a Chick-fil-A location is donating sandwiches to a seminar called “The Art of Marriage: Getting to the Heart of God’s Design” by the Pennsylvania Family Institute, and the seminar is being held in February. The event got sandwiches donated from a location near Harrisburg, Penn., because the group running the event is a 503(c) non-profit organization. Operators of Chick-fil-A restaurants are encouraged to make charitable donations, so the act may not have been religiously motivated. Many college campuses are trying to get the restaurant banned from campuses, and LGBT rights groups want boycotts.

History of Christian values

There have always been values associated with Chick-fil-A, and they happen to be Christian. Sunday school teacher Truett Cathy is the founder of the chain. His policy from the founding of the restaurant was that it would be closed on Sundays and all locations follow that schedule to this day. Christian values are promoted in the charitable foundation, WinShape, which the company runs. WinShape gives scholarships to college students and runs a network of foster homes. “Premarital boot camp” is put on by the WinShape for those engaged. It also does summer camps for kids and getaways for married couples.

Company denies discriminating

The corporation of Chick-fil-A did come out with a statement that says it doesn’t support discrimination. There is nothing on the Chick-fil-A website about the controversy. However, “honor, dignity and respect” is how employees are expected to treat everyone at the restaurant, according to a video posted on Facebook by president Dan Cathy. Years ago Chick-fil-A made headlines because a Muslim wouldn’t participate in prayers and was fired, which got the company sued in 2006.

Information from

New York Times

Chick-fil-A website

WinShape Foundation

Chick-Fil-A is going to be giving out free spicy chicken sandwiches - with a caveat. Image from Flickr.

A free Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich sounds tasty, doesn’t it? Well, the company is offering limited free spicy chicken sandwiches – with a reservation. In order to get your free Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich, you have to add your name to the reservation list. Once you’ve got your reservation made, you can get a “preview taste” of a Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich.

Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich

Slated for rollout on June 7, the Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich reservation allows for limited preview tastings. In order to reserve your sandwich, go to GetSpicyChicken.com and choose which Chick-fil-A store where you want to pick up your free spicy chicken sandwich. Print off your reservation, and take it in to the Chick-fil-A between May 31 and June 5.

Chick-fil-A still privately held

The Chick-fil-A company has been around since the 1940s and has been known as Chick-fil-A since the 1960s. The company has always been privately held. At one point, Warren Buffett offered significant payday cash advances to the company to go public – but it opted to not take the offer. With revenue of about $3 billion in 2009, the company is proving a good investment for the owner and three generations of family that continue to operate the business.

Problems with Chick-fil-A reservations

Some people trying to make reservations for the free spicy chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A have been encountering problems on Monday morning. With hundreds of thousands of people trying to get their reservations in, the website appears to not be operating correctly. This spicy chicken sandwich reservation is Chick-fil-A’s way of avoiding a KFC-like disaster and running out of free product. If the website does not return to functioning soon, however, it is possible that Chick-fil-A may be facing customer frustration and anger.

The Chick-fil-A chicken secret

The Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich is going to, most likely, use a spicy breading on the traditional Chick-fil-A sandwich. Chick-fil-A was the first fast food place to use high-pressure peanut oil to fry chicken, which helps create the thick, juicy sandwich that the company is known for. This high-pressure method is now used in most grocery store delis as well. If you want a Chick-Fil-A style sandwich at home, try browning breaded chicken in oil in a pan for a few minutes, then baking the chicken in the oven to cook it through. It may take a bit more work, but it means you can get a Chick-fil-A style spicy chicken sandwich long before it goes on the menu.