By: Amber McKinstry

History on Chick-fil-A After finding that discovery, Truett registered the name Chick-fil-A, Inc. Chick-fil-A trademarked slogan is, “We Didn’t Invent Chicken, Just the Chicken sandwich.” In 1976, the first Chick-fil-A was in the Greenbrair Mall food court, in the Atlanta suburb In 1986, the first freestanding franchise was opened and they start focusing more on the franchise, more so than the food court type.

The Religion behind Chick-fil-A S. Truett Cathy was a devout Southern Baptist and his religious beliefs had a major impact on the company. Cathy’s beliefs are responsible for the food chains features for all the Chick-fil-A locations, which includes closing the franchises on Sundays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Mr. Cathy stated, “I was not so committed to financial success that I was willing to abandon my principles and priorities. One of the most visible examples of this is our decision to close on Sunday. Our decision to close on Sunday was our way of honoring God and of directing our attention to things that mattered more than our business.”

The Biggest Controversy on Chick-fil-A In January 2011, Chick-fil-A had its biggest controversy with same-sex marriage. Chick-fil-A was co- sponsoring a marriage conference with Pennsylvania Family Institute, which is an organization is opposed to the same-sex marriage legislation. In June and July 2012, Chick-fil-A officer Dan T. Cathy made several public statements about same-sex marriage. He stated, “That his company supports the “traditional definition of marriage” and went on to assert that gay marriages “violate God’s plan.” He also said he believes that Americans have a “prideful, arrogant attitude” about gay marriage that risks “inviting God’s judgment on our nation.”

Continued Controversy Several politicians expressed much disapproval. Boston Mayor Thomas and Chicago Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno, stated that they hoped to block the Chick-fil-A franchise expansion in their areas. The Jim Henson Company, which had Pajanimals kids’ toys in their kids’ meals told Chick-fil-A that they would cease their business relationship with them, and donate their money to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. After that, Chick-fil-A stopped putting toys in the meals, saying that it was unrelated safety concerns that came about.

Chick-fil-A Unfair!

Chick-fil-A

Report of policy change In September 2012, The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) announced that Chick-fil-A has "ceased donating to organizations that promote discrimination, specifically against LGBT civil rights." Chick-fil-A officials did state in an internal document that they "will treat every person equally, regardless of sexual orientation."[57] In a letter from Chick-fil-A's Senior Director of Real Estate, the company states, "The WinShape Foundations is now taking a much closer look at the organizations it considers helping, and in that process will remain true to its stated philosophy of not supporting organizations with political agendas."

Chick-Fil-A Approval Rating Plummets After Anti-Gay Controversy

References "Chick-fil-A." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Jan Web. 28 Feb Scudder, Virgil. "Chick-fil-A Under Fire: The Perils of Corporate Outspokenness." PRSA. 12 Oct Web. 3 Mar Perils_of_Corporate_Out#.VPVZj_nF9O8 Perils_of_Corporate_Out#.VPVZj_nF9O8 Peters, Cara, Jane Thomas, Jamie Benjumea, Nick Garner, and Katie Turner. "Chick-Fil-A: A Social Media Crisis." Journal of Critical Incidents. 1 Jan Web. 3 Mar