Posted on 08/01/2012 9:48:07 AM PDT by madprof98
Though Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia had not yet opened, Martha Hyde, Betty Moses, Sylvia Parish and Ann Whitley wanted to be among the first Wednesday to demonstrate their "appreciation" for the facility's Chick-fil-A location.
"We just love Chick-fil-A, the food and the workers," the group, which meets daily to mall walk, said as they sat in the food court dining on Chick-fil-A biscuits, coffee and breakfast platters.
Today is Chick-fil-A "Appreciation Day," the brainchild of former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Huckabee last week asked fans of the Atlanta-based company to come out today to show their support for the chain, which has been the center of a media storm over statements made by Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy.
Cathy's statements in June and July in support of the biblical definition of marriage raised the ire of supporters of gay unions, who have been increasingly concerned about the company's donations to anti-gay marriage groups. They plan a "Kiss in" on Friday to show their opposition to Cathy's remarks.
The company made clear that "Appreciation Day" is independent.
"Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day was created by our fans, not Chick-fil-A," Steve Robinson, Chick-fil-A's executive vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "We appreciate all of our customers and are glad to serve them at any time. Our goal is simple: to provide great food, genuine hospitality, and to have a positive influence on all who come in to Chick-fil-A."
There were indications during the morning rush that the event was having an impact. Cars waiting to get to the drivethru at the Powder Springs location spilled out into the street while business was brisk inside the packed Chick-fil-A store in Fayetteville.
Julie Greene of Marietta said she and her family — including her children and her parents — plan to eat breakfast, lunch and dinnner at Chick-fil-A today in a show of solidarity with the company.
"We love the Cathy family stand on biblical values," Greene said as she waited for breakfast in Powder Springs.
But Greene was quick to say that she had no hatred toward anyone. Her support comes down to free speech.
"Why can't (Cathy) say what he believes without being persecuted for it," she said. "We have our freedoms. And freedom of speech is one of our greatest."
Conyers resident Clarence McSwain, who also was with the Stonecrest Mall walking group, said, "Chick-fil-A is a very nice establishment and I wholeheartedly go with Mr. Cathy and his values. I think he and Chick-fil-A have been consistent."
Parish, also of Conyers, agreed. "Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays, so nobody should be surprised by their position on this. I think they are making a mountain out of a molehill."
Stay tuned for updates throughout the day on this developing story.
Went to Chick~fil~A in Roseville, Ca. They had a nice ctowd~~
Very interesting. Perhaps they'll forward them to NAMBLA so the patrons can be individually harassed.
Here in Peachtree City, patrons themselves were taking photos--just to share with family and friends. At the oldest and smallest location, lines of cars were wrapped twice around the building, and the parking that remained in nearby lots was pretty far away. But inside, the service was incredibly efficient. The owner and all the managers and employees appeared to be there, and they made 8 fast and friendly service lines at the small counter.
The woman ahead of me said, "Just imagine how the post office would deal with a rush of customers like this!"
Chick-Fil-A is a local company that (1) is enormously popular, (2) a huge source of local pride, and (3) spends a TON of money locally on advertising and promotion (like sponsoring the Chick-Fil-A bowl).
I’ve noticed that the local media is walking on egg-shells around this story. The local TV news last night described the controversy as being over “Cathy saying he supports the Biblical view of marriage.” That was it—one line. No editorializing, no extending the story, no even giving the other side.
Chick-Fil-A is a sacred cow (pun intended) in the Atlanta area.
Amen! And your sign is cute, too!
I also ordered some merchandise online. Unfortunately the nearest Chick fil A is almost 100 miles from me.
I think I will get a visor. I will wear it with my Rush Gitmo shirt and watch the looney left go into “full moonbat mode”. What strange times we are in.
I had lunch there today. There was no parking so I just parked my motorcycle on the sidewalk in front of the store. The cop directing traffic just smiled.
I do feel compelled to note that I apparently ate there for different reasons than many. I think Cathy was a dumbass for potentially alienating even a single customer. I apply my shut up and sing/cook philosophy fairly to all sides.
However, when mayors, aldermen, councilmen, congressmen, etc etc, jumped on the band wagon screaming that no CFA was opening in their town/state/village/whatever, that was too much. That earned my patronage of their under seasoned food for at least one meal.
We don’t have one by me, but it makes me sick of these crazy leftists are trying to get away with.
I get what you are saying, but the way I understand it, Cathy didn’t come out bashing gays and gay marriage. He was attacked because he has supported organizations defending traditional marriage. When asked he was honest about what he believes. Dan Cathy wasn’t looking to alienate sodomites, the sodomites and their liberal supporters were gunning for him. They hate Christians and Christianity.
Hi, Graybeard:
Give this link a try.
http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/Locator
Also has icons for menus, drive thoughs and merchandise.
I worked for Chick-fil-a during my freshman year of college in the early 80’s. Unless something has changed, they don’t sell franchises. At that time each location was run by an “operator” in quasi-partnership with with the Chick-fil-a company. The operator paid a $5,000 fee to Chick-fil-a for the privilege of operating one location. They did not allow a man to operate more than one store because they wanted him to actively manage his location.
The operator I worked for was a retired baptist pastor and he was a tremendous man. I learned much from him that helped me later in my law career. He demonstated how a man can be a faithful witness for Christ each and every day. For him, Chick-fil-a was a ministry.
My local, small-town GA CFA has been packed to the rafters since they opened this morning! 45 minute wait and one of the managers said that every employee on their payroll was working open to close today. The crowd was friendly and cheerful. Many comments were heard throughout the crowd about how bad Zero was going down if the turnout on Nov 6th was anywhere close to what CFA was getting today.
One of the local McD’s and the local KFC had their billboards posting “We agree with Dan Cathy” and “C-F-A Appreciation Day” on them. Amazing that even CFA’s competitors were supporting them.....
I went to an AZ CFA this morning at 10:30, and “hit the beaches” just before the next wave. Only about 15 minutes wait for me at the head of the line. I expect it will be surging all day today, and then get a huge crowd after the Wednesday night Bible Study classes let out.
I saw what looked like most of an adult football team, really big guys, who were eating al fresco as a courtesy to everyone else. Lots of families, with really well behaved kids. Lots of Christian and patriotic accessories, and many of the cars in the parking lot had military bumper stickers.
As an aside, I was rather surprised to not see any open carry. But I would hazard to guess that there was an abundance of CC. Definitely not a good place to attempt armed robbery today, even though the cash registers are bulging.
Living in the insanely bluest of areas, South Philadelphia, I didn't know what to expect.
It was about 3:15, not exactly the busiest of times, but the parking lot was 95% full. I was hoping for a wrap-around for the drive through, but alas, I was able to pull right up to the speaker. I placed my (extensive) order to the very polite young lady and pulled around to get my order. I asked her if they'd been busy today, and she gave me a look on it's own that told me they'd been swamped: “Oh Lord, YES!!!”. I replied with a “Good! God Bless You!” and she nodded and smiled.
As I pulled out, with my delicious morsels, I was overjoyed to see an 8 car line up for the take out window. The Lord shined providence down upon one of his soldiers.
It's a great day to be a Conservative American... well, maybe “Greater” is the word.
A couple of my friends and I tried to visit one in Augusta but the lines were daunting and one friend was diabetic and needed to eat. But we will visit one soon and often.
I totally agree about the employees. Enthusiastic, helpful, OBVIOUSLY WELL-MANAGED and totally ready for the unique biggest sales day in franchise history. It took me 10 times longer to get into the restaurant today than it did for my order to show up. They had enough employees on hand to keep the dining room clean and ready for the next customer to sit there.
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