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After anti-gay flap, Chick-fil-A wings in new direction [backing away from social issues]
KENS News 5 ^ | 04/08/2014 | Bruce Horovitz

Posted on 04/08/2014 6:13:42 AM PDT by GIdget2004

Chick-fil-A is finally crossing the road.

The iconic chicken chain, as well-known for its conservative heritage as its savory eats, is recalibrating its moral and culinary compass. It wants to go from old school to almost cool. It wants to evolve from a place where gays once picketed to a place where they'll feel comfortable going to eat. It wants to broaden the brand as it expands nationally and plows into the Millennial-driven urban arena. Above all: it wants to be a serious player on fast-food's biggest stage.

USA TODAY was exclusively invited inside to visit the company's sprawling, wooded campus, get the first look at its new test kitchen, tour its store-of-the-future development facility and interview Chick-fil-A's controversial CEO Dan Cathy. Cathy, whose comments condemning gay marriage in 2012 set off store picketing and a social media firestorm, has now fully backed away from such public pronouncements that mix personal opinion on social issues with corporate policy.

"All of us become more wise as time goes by," he says, apologetically, in a rare, one-hour sit-down interview. "We sincerely care about all people."

(snip)

Chick-fil-A's socially conservative agenda, which formally led the company to donate millions to charitable groups opposed to gay marriage, has been tempered. This, just as the company aims to quickly expand into Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Southern hospitality must give way to urban reality as the 1,800 store chain moves to compete with big city success stories like McDonald's, Panera Bread and Chipotle.

If nothing else, Cathy has listened. In 2012, Cathy not only heard from some unhappy consumers about his comments against gay marriage, but also from some store operators and employees. Now, he says, "I'm going to leave it to politicians and others to discuss social issues."

(Excerpt) Read more at kens5.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: chickfila; fastfood; gaymafia; homosexualagenda; liberalfascim
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To: Blue Highway
Why do you have Jesus and His Ways?

Jesus just freepmailed me. He said He loves all mankind.

Except you. He hates you.


141 posted on 04/08/2014 10:58:47 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: Blue Highway
Jesus hates you.

And this time He's packing firepower.


142 posted on 04/08/2014 11:01:50 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: Blue Highway
Jesus says He wants you to get to know His little friend.


143 posted on 04/08/2014 11:03:21 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: GIdget2004

Too bad traditional Americans can’t feel welcomed at high tech companies.


144 posted on 04/08/2014 11:03:27 AM PDT by GOPJ (.'Dog Shit' could be sold to 7 million citizens if the IRS fined those who refused to buy it...)
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To: Blue Highway
And your point is? Where is the quote verbatim by Mr. Cathy that he hates homosexuals? Please post it.
145 posted on 04/08/2014 11:12:02 AM PDT by sport
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To: don-o

I wasn’t suggesting Dan Cathy did that, but was making a hypothetical and Lazamataz once again didn’t disappoint.


146 posted on 04/08/2014 11:13:17 AM PDT by Blue Highway
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To: Lazamataz

Why is Jesus using a water pistol? Also why is it one of the newer ones with the orange tip? I still have one of those UZIs before they started coloring the tips orange, circa 1986. Is that Holy Water in that pistol?


147 posted on 04/08/2014 11:16:38 AM PDT by Blue Highway
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To: sport

Huh? I never quoted Cathy as saying he hates homosexuals.


148 posted on 04/08/2014 11:19:34 AM PDT by Blue Highway
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To: Blue Highway
You really DO hate Jesus and His works.

You need about 1-5 years of rest.

149 posted on 04/08/2014 11:20:06 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: Blue Highway
Huh? I never quoted Cathy as saying he hates homosexuals.

I quoted Jesus when He said He hates you.


150 posted on 04/08/2014 11:22:19 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: RetiredArmy

So, I guess it’s the Church of Chikin?


151 posted on 04/08/2014 11:25:08 AM PDT by stanne
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To: Blue Highway

First of all Dan Cathy is not the CEO of Chick Fil A, he is the COO of Chick Fil A.

Secondly where do you see Dan backing down?

I assume your “befriending” comment is in regards to “Dan and I have an ongoing friendship,” says Shane Windmeyer, executive director of the gay rights advocacy group Campus Pride. “I am appreciative for the common ground we have established in treating all people with dignity and respect — including LGBT people.”

Now how you view someone being friendly to someone you disagree with as an example of backing down is beyond me. Nothing Dan Cathy ever said or did was disrespectful to anyone. In fact in the height of the the nonsense Chick Fil A said that they have and always will treat all people with dignity and respect, so please tell me how what this woman is saying is somehow a cave, compromise or backing down? She’s basically stating what Dan and CFA have always said. So I really don’t know where you are coming from with this.

If anything I read that as this group basically trying to save face after their completely misguided attempt to force their perversions on everyone and the overwhelming response it evoked.

Unless of course in your mind, if someone does not agree with you, you have to treat them badly or hate them, in which case would be against pretty much the core tenants of Christian theology. So, I really don’t see how you are viewing this as some sort of cave, capitulation or backtracking by Mr. Cathy.

I am not seeing remotely what your referencing in your claims about meetings or picnics in the park. I really think you need to cite me where you see in Mr. Cathy’s own words, anywhere where he has stated in this article that he agrees with the practice of homosexuality or gay marriage, or anything else in it that portends to show he has changed his opinions about the matter or his beliefs, or where he has apologized for them.

They aren’t in there, This is in honesty an article about how Chick-Fil-A as a company is approaching the future, that is what the real information in the article about, the 1/3 that is dedicated to the gay marriage flap is purely editorial added by the reporter. There is NOTHING in this article that offers up any change to Dan Cathy or Chick Fil A’s stand, other than the suggestion that he is wiser, from that one can infer that he’ll be more cautious about where he states his opinion, but that doesn’t suggest at any level he has changed it or backed away from it.


152 posted on 04/08/2014 11:28:33 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: HamiltonJay

You won’t get far with a reasoned argument pitched to Blue Highway. He is the very worst form of ‘Christian’ — one who abandons Jesus’s admonition to not judge, and to love the sinner (but not the sin) and meet with them to give them the Good News.


153 posted on 04/08/2014 11:34:36 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: don-o

By expanding into those markets, he will be forced to compromise. Hear me now, believe me later.


154 posted on 04/08/2014 12:29:55 PM PDT by Albion Wilde ("The commenters are plenty but the thinkers are few." -- Walid Shoebat)
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To: Albion Wilde

http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Press/Map

Looks like he already has a pretty good beachhead in place


155 posted on 04/08/2014 12:36:32 PM PDT by don-o (He will not share His glory and He will NOT be mocked! Blessed be the name of the Lord forever!)
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To: cincinnati65
If Chik-Fil-A “caves in”, it will be “caving in” the foundation of its business.

"If?" Already done.

156 posted on 04/08/2014 12:38:40 PM PDT by fwdude ( You cannot compromise with that which you must defeat.)
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To: don-o

Without seeing the actual marketplaces, whether they are towns, suburban malls or isolated college campuses, that map is overbroad and does not reveal the point you are trying to force. Let’s just agree to disagree on this one.


157 posted on 04/08/2014 12:42:18 PM PDT by Albion Wilde ("The commenters are plenty but the thinkers are few." -- Walid Shoebat)
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To: Pollster1

How does one find about about the politics of the restaurant? Do you call the owner and check him out before eating there?


158 posted on 04/08/2014 1:06:05 PM PDT by basil (2ASisters.org)
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To: andyk

I wasn’t able to attend the Chik-fil-a boycott a couple of years ago, but was there a few days later. We sat down and started our food and in walked three people, two were flaming and the other was a trans. They bought their food, sat down and enjoyed it just like everyone else in the store. Nobody bothered them, they bothered nobody.


159 posted on 04/08/2014 1:56:21 PM PDT by Ann de IL
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To: basil
How does one find about about the politics of the restaurant? Do you call the owner and check him out before eating there?

Actually, yes. With chains, I look at the politics of the chain owner and of the local franchise owner. With local restaurants and other local businesses, I check their political donations or talk with them (or usually go to church with them).

160 posted on 04/08/2014 2:25:53 PM PDT by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
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