The top management of Chick-fil-A generated quite a bit of controversy this week over comments by the company president, Dan Cathy, that were critical of gay marriage. But the Atlanta-based purveyor of grilled chicken sandwiches still has its supporters as well, including state Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell).
Albers sent out an op-ed column this week that said in part:
Dan Cathy, the president of Chick-Fil-A, did nothing wrong for standing up for his beliefs and does not have to answer to the court of public opinion. However, the controversy surrounding the company’s statement does raise concern about how faith-based decisions at the corporate level are coming under attack. . . .
It is Chick-Fil-A’s high standard of service and adherence to their personal values that has catapulted the business to the top of the fast food industry. Chick-Fil-A offers the same level of professionalism and service to anyone and everyone who patronizes their stores, but is being discriminated against because they do not embrace a level of tolerance that the rest of the world adheres to.
Perhaps it is time to take a cue from the time of our nation’s founders when dissenting viewpoints did not equal hate speech. No matter where my constituents’ beliefs fall along the ideological spectrum, I am still entrusted to represent their best interests as a senator. We simply agree to disagree. In Chick-Fil-A terms, I prefer the chargrilled chicken sandwich to the original fried chicken sandwich. That doesn’t mean that I hate those that prefer fried chicken. It merely means that I have a differing opinion.
Other commentators are taking a more tongue-in-cheek approach to the controversy. The Onion, a comedy website, published a satiric news article that described the purported rollout of a new menu item by Chick-fil-A:
As part of its recent efforts to publicly align itself with fundamentalist Christian values, the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain announced today the debut of its new Queer-Hatin’ Cordon Bleu sandwich that would be on sale in all of the company’s 1,600 restaurants this Wednesday.
In a press conference to reporters, company representatives said the homophobic new sandwich will include the national fast food chain’s trademark fried chicken filet wrapped in a piece of specially-smoked No Homo ham that would be topped with a slice of Swiss cheese and lathered in a creamy new Thousand Island-based Fag Punching sauce.
“The Queer-Hatin’ Cordon Bleu is our company’s way of showing our firm commitment to strong, Christian family values,” said Chick-fil-A spokesman Robert Gary, before adding that the vehemently anti-gay rights sandwich comes served in a combo with waffle fries and a medium soda for just $6.95. “From the very first morsel of this savory meal to the very last bite, customers can envision gays burning in hell with their sodomizing cohorts, and know that our sandwich is on their side.” . . .
While the release of the Queer-Hatin’ Cordon Bleu has led to anger from pro-gay rights groups, loyal Chick-fil-A customers claim they are happy they can finally enjoy a sandwich that takes a firm stance on the issue of homosexuality.
“Any sandwich that combines that great Chick-fil-A flavor with a hefty dose of vitriolic homophobia is definitely going to keep me coming back for more,” said Atlanta customer John Oaks. “Come Wednesday, I’m going to be first in line for this thing.”
