January 30, 2011

"If you’re eating Chick-fil-A, you’re eating anti-gay."

Mmm. Well. At least I'm now able to confirm by inference that my pronunciation of Chick-fil-A is correct.

ADDED: To respond to some questions in the comments, I assumed, reading the sign, noting the capital A, and using common sense, that the name was pronounced "chick fill AY," that is,"chick fillet." But recently somebody laughed at me for saying it like that and insisted it was pronounced "chick FILL uh." I was embarrassed. When I came across the slogan that I've put in the post title, I thought it was a funny way to say I was right. Why does that slogan show I was right? Because it has meter and rhyme only if it's pronounced my way. As for the folks in the comments who thought it had something to do with fellatio — "fill-A-tio"....

139 comments:

James said...

Eat mor chikin

Trooper York said...

Hey what if you are eatin' a fish taco?

Quaestor said...

Never really cared much for Chick-fil-A, but I now must go out and buy one of their meals to show moral support against this kind of ginned up faux-outrage, and then give it to the dog.

Quaestor said...

BTW, I'm not anti-gay... but I'm open to persuasion.

Automatic_Wing said...

All this because some group in Pennsylvania ordered a catered lunch from the local Chick-fil-A? More drama queen behavior from the gay rights community.

Jason (the commenter) said...

The article got the company history wrong. They actually started out selling airplane food and the restaurant was just a way to get rid of chicken breasts that were too big to be used by the airlines.

Of course the "airplane food" past is something the company tries to hide.

Unknown said...

Few pressure groups are as unabashedly fascistic as those of militant homosexuality (ACTUP, Queer Nation, etc.).

I have a feeling they're about to find out how sparse their support really is.

Jason (the commenter) said...

Maguro: All this because some group in Pennsylvania ordered a catered lunch from the local Chick-fil-A?

They didn't order it, they got it free. It's the same as giving them money, but even more of a public endorsement.

mesquito said...

Just what America is crying out for: Another fucking Liberal dietary taboo.

Kev said...

(the other kev)

Their Chick-in-Minis are goddam awesome for breakfast. Go fuck yourselves, weasels.

Skyler said...

Yay for freedom of religion, freedom of speech and all that jazz.

Those homosexual tyrants can go fly a kite.

Ann Althouse said...

"breasts that were too big"

... a funny phrase.

The Drill SGT said...

way over blown story

Automatic_Wing said...

They didn't order it, they got it free. It's the same as giving them money, but even more of a public endorsement.

Really? It doesn't say that in the article.

Jason (the commenter) said...

edutcher: I have a feeling they're about to find out how sparse their support really is.

They have pretty much saturated their home market in the South, and they have McDonald's to deal with (which now offers sweet tea and even a Chick-fil-A sandwich rip off).

They probably don't need the bad press.

Revenant said...

There's nothing wrong with boycotting a company because you don't like its stance on moral issues. Christians groups do it all the time.

This seems like a pretty trivial reason to boycott a fast food chain, though. I'm certainly not going to stop eating there.

Jason (the commenter) said...

The Drill Sgt: way over blown story

I agree!

Revenant said...

Really? It doesn't say that in the article.

It says that they "sponsored" it and refers to the food as a "donation".

traditionalguy said...

Chick-fil-a has done something right along the way. It has so many loyal customers that 6 days a week is all they need to make huge money. The motto is "food is necessary to ,life, so make it good." The orphans and foster home children helped by Truett are a very real and effective charity and have been from the beginning. He was for years a sponsor of the LPGA Golf Tournament at Eagles Landing south of Atlanta.The local lesbians made that their social event of the year. Chick-Fil-A has moved on to sponsor the Peach Bowl game to the College Kick Off Classic Game in Atlanta. Truett of course tithes to his church ( First Baptist Church of Jonesboro), but he still makes massive donations over and above that. He is a good old country type who loves to help abandoned children. His first restaurant was 2 blocks from the Ga Baptist Children's Home and 4 blocks from the Ford Plant. He made the money off feeding the Ford workers and donated it to Orphans Home. He may have made gays notice him recently, but God noticed him 50 years ago and has made him wealthy. Baptists say that you cannot out give God, and Truett has proved that to be true.

mesquito said...

But as she learns more about the company, Ms. Anderson is wavering about where to eat when they travel to Charlotte in April.

“I’m going to have to sit with this a little bit,” she said.



Oh, for fuck's sake.

Cheryl said...

This is silly.

And I have to say, I got to meet Truett Cathy when he hosted my son's field trip class. He welcomed about 28 third graders into his office, told his story of selling "Co-Colas" as a boy (buying a six-pack for 25 cents, selling them individually for a nickel each), even let them see the "executive washroom" complete with rubber duckies in the tub. And he shared with them how important it is to share all that God blesses you with.

They say and live what they believe, don't pull punches, and have absolutely the most polite and friendly employees you will ever see in a restaurant. So a few people are mad. Slightly shorter lines for the rest of us!

Automatic_Wing said...

It says that they "sponsored" it and refers to the food as a "donation".

Yeah, you're right. I saw the part where the family values guy said he liked to support businesses that stand up for good and assumed that his group paid for the lunch.

PaulV said...

The food was donated by local franchise, not national company. I like the outrage that the company give the workers a weekend day off to be with family. Utter outrage that peons get Sunday off just like their betters.

WV: bristi. fem form of Bristol

caplight said...

Our local grocery store, part of a large mid western chain, donates food to our church for one or two events a year. I guess all my Jewish friends should boycott them. But the Panera donates end of the day rolls and sweets to the Jewish senior center.So I guess I should be pissed at them.

Edgehopper said...

The pronunciation was in question? "Chick-Fil-A" pretty obviously is a play on "chicken filet"...

Are these folks (the militant gays) unaware of how franchising works? The chain as a whole isn't responsible for everything individual stores do, and doesn't appear to have been involved here. If you want to boycott this particular Pennsylvania store, that might make sense, but the rest of the country's stores have nothing to do with it.

This is a minor issue relative to the more pressing Chick-Fil-A concern--that their only NYC location is stuck in a student food court that I can't go to any more. Someone should work on opening a real franchise, maybe where one of the KFC's went out of business...

dbp said...

James Lileks had the best take I ever read on Chick-Fil-A:


I took my seat by the shite-scraper show and removed the sandwich from its foil. It felt warm and gentle. It was like holding a lamb’s soul in your hands. I took a bite.

I’ve never quite had this experience before. On one side of the brain, total pleasure. On the other side of the brain, a simultaneous desire to become a franchisee. It was the most delicious piece of fast-food I’d ever had, and I say that knowing well that 67% of my email headers tomorrow will read “Chick-Fil-A” and everyone will agree. No, I didn’t have the waffle fries. A man has to have something to live for.

Jason (the commenter) said...

Some people eat at Chick-fil-A because of its conservative CHRISTIAN tendencies. It should come as no surprise that some people would avoid it for the same reason.

Unknown said...

Jason (the commenter) said...

edutcher: I have a feeling they're about to find out how sparse their support really is.

They have pretty much saturated their home market in the South, and they have McDonald's to deal with (which now offers sweet tea and even a Chick-fil-A sandwich rip off).

They probably don't need the bad press.


I was talking about the militants.

No problem.

DADvocate said...

Now I'm expected to eat at pro-gay restaurants? Screw 'em. They have no respect for any diversity outside of their little realm. Stop trying to force your belief system on us and we'll (at least I) be glad to give you all the tolerance anyone deserves.

I rarely eat at Chick-fil-A at the food court in Carew Towers in downtown Cinci, I regularly get Arnold Palmer's (half lemonade and half tea) or an ice cream cone. Both delicious, both reasonably priced.

DADvocate said...

BTW - I haven't bought a pair of Levi's or Dockers in years because they quite sponsoring Boy Scouts at the urging of gay groups. Once gay groups start supporting freedom of assembly and freedom of association, I'll give them more support.

Roux said...

Trooper York said...

Hey what if you are eatin' a fish taco?


It only matters if you are a lesbian.

Anonymous said...

Does this mean if you're eating KFC you're sucking Colonel Cock?

Bender said...

Calling a company anti-gay? That's nothing.

Here's a comment I read today --

Who the hell cares what the religious right thinks? They already have the blood of slain Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato on their hands.

(yep, that's right, a Tucson-style smear of conservatives left at Commonweal, a left-leaning "Catholic" site that regularly includes various levels of hate speech -- a place where I was labeled as "biased against Muslims" because I suggested that Egyptians should be free, rather than let the Islamicists take power there)

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Is the NYT targeting a business?

Anonymous said...

"Hey what if you are eatin' a fish taco?"

Well, if you're eating a fish taco at Taco Bell, you don't have to worry about it containing any actual fish.

Anonymous said...

"Is the NYT targeting a business?"

The Gay York Times have Chick-Fil-A in their gunsights and are firing at the company with both barrels.

Welcome to the new civility.

Cedarford said...

Questor - "but I now must go out and buy one of their meals to show moral support against this kind of ginned up faux-outrage, and then give it to the dog."

Don't feed it to the dog! They are delicious. Give 'em to a friend to try out.
I agree about the typical gay drama queen faux outrage part. (And add this is gleefully enabled by the progressive Jews and liberal WASPS of the NY Times to push the gay agenda. Why not? Add Gay Nazis to the Green Nazis and Health nut Nazis trying to dictate each person's diet.)

We all know how this would turn out if it wasn't gay boycott of "anti-gay" food establishments but a group say, boycotting Absolut Vodka and Starbucks for "pro-gay" beverages. You would see a pack of bubbering, truly irate gay drama queens boiling out in Shock! Outrage! that such a reprehensible thing was contemplated.

Anonymous said...

"I rarely eat at Chick-fil-A ..."

But now that I know I can stick it to the fucking New York Times, you can bet your ass I'll be making it a point to eat there from now on just to piss them off.

opfor311 said...

@Edgehopper:

I feel your pain...The only Chick-Fil-A in the Omaha area is in the Mutual of Omaha food court and is open to employees and their guests only. But there is a large group of people here that are trying to talk the company into opening stores around here.

wv: asesses: I asesses the changes of this boycott succeeding at slim to none....

rcocean said...

Breaded chicken in a bun? Sounds redundant.

BTW, does anyone eat at Dairy Queen anymore? That was big when I was growing up but it seems to have disappeared.

mesquito said...

Dairy Queen presides over rural Texas like the Monarch she is.

opfor311 said...

Dairy Queen is alive and well in Warren Buffett's town and portfolio. (Berkshire Hathaway owns Dairy Queen). But there is room for Chick-Fil-A too.....

DaLawGiver said...

Keep your sex out of my chicken OK? I don't care if the chicken is gay or straight. It's just not right.

DaLawGiver said...

There are about 5700 DQs world wide. Texas alone has over 600.

DaLawGiver said...

Dairy Queen was originally called Dairy Fairy but the name was changed to Dairy Queen because of rabid homophobia in the 1940s. Ironic isn't it?

The Drill SGT said...

Fact is, most of them there Chicken tits are from Boy Chickens, cuz they're good fur nuthin else.

Them hens, well don't you know, they lay eggs.

mike said...

Well, I love their chicken and will continue to frequent them. One thing I love about ChikfilA is their cleanliness. Far superior to any other fast food joint. That they have a conservative corporate culture is just gravy.

Anonymous said...

If you're reading the New York Times, you're anti-anti-gay. This country cannot tolerate intolerance. Therefore, the New York Times must be prevented from publishing until it ceases its prejudice against anti-gays.

Mary Beth said...

I like the chicken and they consistently get my order right. That along with polite workers is enough to keep my business.

I don't care for the waffle fries but my kids love them so it all works out. The soup and the lemonade is good too.

coketown said...

Don't take this boycott too lightly. The potency of the gay lobby's ability of turn off the pecuniary faucet is beyond reproach: Coors, McDonalds, Hyatt hotels, and most recently Target--all companies swept into the dustbin of history by the concentrated power of homosexual boycotts.

Oh wait.

Fuck 'em.

HT said...

I don't understand when AA said this

"t least I'm now able to confirm by inference that my pronunciation of Chick-fil-A is correct."

Also, can someone explain what this means?

Because the company remains privately held — his two sons run it — it can easily keep its faith-based principles intact. The company’s corporate purpose is, in part, “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.”


This is probably ignorant, but why couldn't, say, a McDonald's keep "its faith based prinicples?"

HT said...

I remember

commerce clause, no?

coketown said...

@HT: I agree with Ann. I remember seeing the restaurants down south when visiting family, and I thought it was "Chick-fiel-ah." Then my cousin said it aloud and it all make sense. It's like a filet.

And I don't think the religion question about privately or publicly held companies has to do with any laws. Rather, it's about board members thinking they'd reach a broader market by suppressing the religiosity of the company. If the company were public, stockholders would have more weight to say the religious pretenses of the company should be dropped. I think.

Revenant said...

a Tucson-style smear of conservatives left at Commonweal

My goodness. You mean to say that the Uganda evangelists who perpetrated anti-gay smears are now the victims of a smear campaign by gays? I, for one, am shocked that gay people would stoop so low.

The Drill SGT said...

HT said...but why couldn't, say, a McDonald's keep "its faith based prinicples?"

because in 15 seconds some Gay guy in San Francisco, who owns a single share of McD's (a coincidence mind you) would be filing a class action suit in a CA Court alledging that by focusing on something other than share-holder value, the firm was violating its fiduciary responsibility

Alex said...

It's only going to get worse. Lady Gaga's new album is a gay-power fest that's more of a political statement then a pop album. So expect the gay wars to reach a fever pitch this year...

JAL said...

Stock holders? SEC?

Robert said...

Chick-fil-A does fast-food right. You are treated well there, they keep their restaurants clean, and the food doesn't make you your body feel icky 20 minutes ater you eat it like some fast food does. I like the place.

MadisonMan said...

There are no Chick-Fil-As in Madison that I know of. I'd rather eat at Culvers anyway.

When I worked in Raleigh for the summer while in college I would eat at CFA, but it was just fast food, nothing great or fancy.

The Drill SGT said...

JAL said...
Stock holders? SEC?


The Chick guys are privately held. McD's, not so private

woof said...

"at least I'm now able to confirm by inference that my pronunciation of Chick-fil-A is correct."

Also, can someone explain what this means?


Rhymes with fellatio.

Peter Hoh said...

I love Chick-fil-A. They had a franchise at the Echelon Mall when I worked nearby. I'm fortunate that they don't have one near me today, or I'd be there every other day.

The name rhymes with fillet. How else could you pronounce it?

Alex said...

So when does the gay bubble pop? 2013-2014?

I'm Full of Soup said...

Their calendars are funny. I have never eaten at a Chick Fil A but now I will go out of my way to spend my money there. I am sick of PC zealotry.

Btw - how about a poll Althouse? What % of your readers refuse to click on or read a link to the NYT?

Revenant said...

because in 15 seconds some Gay guy in San Francisco, who owns a single share of McD's (a coincidence mind you) would be filing a class action suit in a CA Court alledging that by focusing on something other than share-holder value, the firm was violating its fiduciary responsibility

He could file the suit in rural Texas and the courts would still favor him, because he'd be right -- public corporations are supposed to act in the interest of shareholders, not in the interests of the CEO's personal faith.

This is really a simple matter of whether you'd rather be true to your faith or your wallet. Going public indicates you've chosen the latter.

Drew said...

These people must have a pretty easy life if they have the time to agitate about Chick-fil-A catering a marriage seminar.

woof said...

The Urban Dictionary defines Chicken Fellatio as eating fried chicken in an overzealous manner.

That dude just went DOWN on that drumstick. That's some Chick Fellatio right there.

paul a'barge said...

Here is how to find a Chick-Fil-A near you:
http://www.chick-fil-a.com/restlocator/

find one, and patronize it. Frequently.

Because while I have no animus against Gay people, when it comes to Gay activists and their agenda?

Let's just say ... Yumm, chicken!

Alex said...

Drew - no regular folks like us just don't have the courage to be activists. I'm sure these folks have day jobs, no?

paul a'barge said...

And if you're in Memphis, TN?

http://www.bing.com/search?q=chick-fil-A+memphis&form=OSDSRC

Finn Alexander Kristiansen said...

Another Chick-fil-A fan here. Clean stores, polite employees. I usually hit up the one in Avondale (a PHX suburb), and usually the day I want some the most (Sunday) is the day they happen to be closed. But you can't fault someone for showing that you can successfully run a business and keep the principles that brought you, without discriminating.

Chick fil A gets targeted for having an opinion.

Penny said...

""If you’re eating Chick-fil-A, you’re eating anti-gay.""

NEVER anti-gay on Sunday at Chick-fil-A. Per the owner, the place is closed.

Gay advocates and those hungry for a Chick-fil-A have off today.

Relax and enjoy!

Calypso Facto said...

Love Chick-fil-A from my time in Oklahoma. Eat there every time I return South. Maybe I'll eat there twice next trip.

DAD said: I haven't bought a pair of Levi's or Dockers in years because they quite sponsoring Boy Scouts...
My United Way donation started going directly to the Boy Scouts instead for the same reason.

Lem said: Is the NYT targeting a business?
The NYT targets ALL busines (other than their own, which, you know, is special).

Jane said...

Our local Chick-Fil-A is totally amazing. They show up -- with the cow that kids love -- at all the community events. You name it, they're right there handing out free coupons.

They have the best service in town. It's amazing. They have the cleanest restaurant. I don't go anywhere else. They're always packed with life and food, and the other fast food chains are cold, dirty, smelly, rude, and dead.

Pst - they even came to hand out free chicken sandwiches at the post office on tax day last year. The tea party crowd who was standing there getting most of the coupons really got a kick out of that one.

DADvocate said...

BTW, does anyone eat at Dairy Queen anymore? That was big when I was growing up but it seems to have disappeared.

There's a Dairy Queen a couple of miles down the road from me. Even though it was fairly new, it remodeled last year and business probably tripled. It's yummy. The burgers, etc are good and they have fried mushrooms, yum.

HT said...

Revenant said...

He could file the suit in rural Texas and the courts would still favor him, because he'd be right -- public corporations are supposed to act in the interest of shareholders, not in the interests of the CEO's personal faith.

This is really a simple matter of whether you'd rather be true to your faith or your wallet. Going public indicates you've chosen the latter.

____

Sorry to be still on this, but what law says you have to focus more on the shareholders than faith, for example?

Well, just if anyone wants to answer.

I also do not understand what other way you'd pronounce fil-a. It's right there - fi lay.

vnjagvet said...

CFA has the best lemonade and diet lemonade anywhere. I buy the latter by the gallon. Unlike other fast food restaurants in our area, Its outlets also have uniformly high quality staff. It must do something right.

Looks like the victories over prop 8 and DADT have left the gay lobby with nothing to do except quibble over trifles.

Joe said...

What coincidence. Watching Goldfinger and Pussy Galore just showed up.

Lincolntf said...

I first had Chick-Fil-A three years ago, upon moving to NC. It's by far the best "fast food" chicken sandwich to be found anywhere in the known world. Get the "Original" your first time, then the "Deluxe" if you feel like branching out. Delicious.

Rialby said...

Must everything be fucking political?

It's a chicken sandwich.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Rialby:
"Must everything be fucking political?"

My librul sister, who has an Ivy League degree, believes Walmart is truly evil.

wv = nonspin

Anonymous said...

Chick-fil-a donates massive quantities to just about any group that asks. They donate sandwiches to the all of our local school's fundraising activities. Our HS golf team has a tournament every year for the local HS teams and guess what they get when they finish playing? Yep. Chick-fil-a. Same for any group associated with a school needing to raise money for uniforms or equipment or whatever. Ditto any church or just about any cause that needs to raise some funds.

Every night, the local Chick-fil-a parking lot is so packed that you frequently have to drive around several times to find a parking place and the drive thru has cars lined up around the building.

The reason why their employees are so nice is because the kids that work there are automatically eligible for scholarships that Truett Cathy hands out for employees. He funds a large part of Berry College in N GA and thousands of kids that work for him go to school with some of the Cathy money every year.

A HS friend of mine owns one and all anyone has to do is call him and say I need x number of sandwiches for x event and he's more than happy to oblige. He's got more "thank you" plaques on his wall than all the trophies all the athletes in Atlanta have on their walls put together.

They're good people. Period.

Skyler said...

Sorry to be still on this, but what law says you have to focus more on the shareholders than faith, for example?

I know of no such law. If the articles of incorporation state that the purpose is to promote faith over the monetary interests of shareholders, then that is perfectly legit.

But I claim no expertise in the matter.

Anonymous said...

I know of no such law.

This is because you are stupid. Shareholders are the owners of a company but they have no power of decision. The people operating the company must act in good faith to maximize profits for shareholders.

Chick-fil-A is not a public company, so it has no such duties.

Penny said...

"Sorry to be still on this, but what law says you have to focus more on the shareholders than faith, for example?"

The "Shareholder Law".

Not that there IS such a law, just that there might be.

It's quite like the "Faith Law", only different.

JAL said...

We had a DQ owner on the list a while back.

John?

You here?

(I like the DQ mint chocolate chip thingeys.)

Also Nightline or somebody had a piece on CFA last year. When they open a new restaurant (<--- would that be the right word?) apparently people camp in the parking lot overnight to be in line for the freebies and fun. I think one of the sons showed up and spent the night, played saxaphone (? memory might be off there) or something. It was one big fun family party. I'll look for a link.

Oh -- one daughter did her first year in college at Berry. (One of her buddies was a WinShape scholar.) School that is making a name for itself. Great history. I forget the actual connection -- how Cathey ended up building WinShape there.

Anonymous said...

Eating at Chick-fil-A is not a life-style choice.

I was just born that way.

Peter V. Bella said...

Hey, it's the NYT- the old gray hag. Geez, consider the source!!!!!!!!!!!

BJM said...

One can always hit the falafel stand instead. oh. wait. no.

Isn't it about time gay activists challenged Islamic businesses too? KFC, for example, has halal franchises in Muslim neigborhoods.

JAL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JAL said...

Bad link. Rejecting my highly professional hyperlink. Second attempt.

Nightline Chick-fil-A

Can't find the video -- don't know how edited the transcript is.

(The son plays the trumpet for the campers ;-) )

How about there be room in America for folks like the Cathys and the people who like what they do and people who don't like the Cathys and how they run their businesses (or as someone mentioned, the franchisees do).

That would be novel, ya think? What a cool country to live in.

Methadras said...

So if I eat a chicken sandwich, I'm anti-gay? Is this homosexual logic? Man, leftards sure know how to inspire civil protest.

Freeman Hunt said...

If you're eating something, aren't you destroying it? If you're eating Chick-fil-A, you're literally eating chicken, and the chicken is basically annihilated from its chicken form. So if you eat anti-gay, are you pro-anti-gay or anti-anti-gay?

I don't think the metaphor works.

kimsch said...

There's another faith-friendly business that the people who don't like Chick-Fil-A also don't like: Hobby Lobby.

Hobby Lobby is closed on Sundays to allow their associates time with their families and for worship. Says so on the door.

They also play actual Christmas Hymns and religious Christmas songs during the Christmas season.

MadMan-there's a Chick-Fil-A at the Regency Mall at 11 and Greenbay Road in Racine.

wv: witche (I am not making this up)

Revenant said...

Sorry to be still on this, but what law says you have to focus more on the shareholders than faith, for example?

English common law has incorporated the idea of fiduciary responsibility for centuries. I'm not sure what (if any) civil laws codify that principle in the United States, though.

In essence, when someone buys your stock they are giving you money with the implicit understanding that you will do your best to generate MORE money. If you decided to, e.g., take all the money you earned selling shares in your company and donate it all to the local Widows and Orphans Fund, you have in effect defrauded the people you sold the stock to -- their stock is now worthless.

Nobody sells stock in a moral crusade. That's called "asking for charitable donations". :)

bgates said...

The people operating the company must act in good faith to maximize profits

The Cathys are acting in the best faith they know.

Revenant said...

There's another faith-friendly business that the people who don't like Chick-Fil-A also don't like: Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby is closed on Sundays

Out of curiosity, can you actually point to an example of someone who dislikes Chick-fil-A because of their Sunday policy?

I know of plenty of people who are annoyed by the policy, but that's because they're tired of not being able to get a decent chicken sandwich on Sunday. Not exactly a boycott, there.

Revenant said...

The Cathys are acting in the best faith they know.

They're welcome to do so, since they own the company. The rule applies to public corporations.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure what (if any) civil laws codify that principle in the United States, though.

There are numerous ways at common law (which means suing) when companies put other agendas -- say, God -- ahead of shareholders. I would imagine the SEC is able to get involved in this kind of thing as well in a regulatory way.

Anybody who wants to be pissed off about this, including the people above, please bear in mind the enormous cash infusion that public companies received when they went public. No company needs to be publicly traded. It's very voluntary.

Anonymous said...

bgates -- The owners of Chick-Fil-A are free to spend their revenue however they want (within the bounds of corporate and other law). Chick-Fil-A is not publicly traded.

You do understand what publicly traded means, right?

kimsch said...

Not Sundays on their own, but that the company is faith based and makes no bones about it.

People who are offended by faith.

wv: denin

Chase said...

I for one welcome our extremist fascist anti-Christian gay masters.

Chase said...

Because there is nothing more important in all of life than being identified by one's sexual preferences.

Penny said...

"You do understand what publicly traded means, right?"

I do!

Penny said...

Seems to me that one of us needs to explain.

You first. honey.

Right behind you.

Penny said...

Show me your muscles...

I will return in kind.

Revenant said...

Not Sundays on their own, but that the company is faith based and makes no bones about it.

Like I said, can you point to an example of this?

MayBee said...

It's funny that people who think they like the Mom and Pop stores hate Chick-fi-A for operating pretty much like a Mom and Pop store.

BJM said, "One can always hit the falafel stand instead. oh. wait. no."

Hilarious. I used to volunteer at a school function where the parents were, for the most part, super liberal. And the very delicious Turkish doner kebab vendor absolutely refused to be anywhere near the Israeli food vendor. But that was international, and NOT bigoted. So no biggie.

Steven said...

A corporation that screws over minority shareholders can expect a lawsuit, but there's a large gap between making a charitable contribution that could plausibly enhance a company's public image and screwing over minority shareholders. A shareholder lawsuit over something like this would be laughed out of court.

Also, offering shares to the public is somewhat voluntary, but I'm not sure I would characterize it as "very" voluntary. "Fairly" voluntary, I could sign on to. If you want to offer shares to more than 500 shareholders, you have to go public. If you want the liquid market in your shares, or you want the capital, you have to go public. When does a firm "need" to raise capital? If its only goal is maximizing shareholder value, and it can only do that by issuing equity to the public, maybe it needs to issue equity to the public. If a firm is worth more alive than dead, but needs a cash infusion to keep going, and the only way it can raise the cash is through a public offering, is that a "need"? Is it okay to issue public equity to feed your starving family?

I do believe I've gotten off-track.

Anonymous said...

S -- An initial public offering generally does not occur when a company is about to go out of business.

Chip Ahoy said...

Wow, wudaya know. There's one within easy walking distance.

Never been. I wonder, if I go there will monkeys come flying out of my butt and tell me ridiculous things? I'm kind of freaking out about those flying monkeys ever since I heard about them.

Ralph L said...

I'm annoyed that they've added 50 cents to the price of lemon pie in 2 years.

They added a second one at our new exit (a mile away) and they're both mobbed at lunch.

Methadras said...

MayBee said...

And the very delicious Turkish doner kebab vendor absolutely refused to be anywhere near the Israeli food vendor.


Really, I thought he'd be pissed at the greek gyro guy instead.

Penny said...

"I'm kind of freaking out about those flying monkeys ever since I heard about them."

Chip's worried about flying, friggin', monkeys while Dorothy's wearing her red shoes?

Michael said...

Their spicy chicken sandwhich is not fir sissies.

Anonymous said...

The Chick-Fil-A CEO talks about homosexuality:

"An enormously overwhelming percentage of people struggle with homosexual feeling because of some form of violent emotional or sexual abuse at some point in their life," he says. "A small, tiny percentage of people are born with a natural inclination that they cannot explain. You find this in the animal kingdom at some level as well." He says gays must fight this "propensity."

No, wait ... that wasn't the Chick-Fil-A CEO.

That was the new imam of the Ground Zero Mosque, Abdallah Adhami.

Gee, I wonder if the NY Times will go after this Muslim hate spreader, or whether they'll continue to send reporters to stake out the food court at the fucking mall.

DADvocate said...

Must everything be fucking political?

Liberal fascism isn't just a book, it's a reality.

John henry said...

Another example is Little Debby of snack cake fame. National distribution in all Walmarts, Safeways, Krogers, Albertsons and other supermarket chains.

They family that owns them is Seventh Day Adventist and they shut down their massive bakeries every Friday at 6:00PM for the Sabbath restarting at 6:00PM Saturday.

As for whether a publicly held corp can do this: I am not a lawyer but I used to teach this stuff. If it is disclosed in the bylaws and/or offering documents that the company will shut on either the Sabbath or Sunday for religious reasons, the shareholder bought their shares with this understanding and would have no grounds for suit. If enough objected, they could change the bylaws, I suppose.

And, just for the record for those who said that the job of a corporation is to maximize profits: No, it is not.

The job of the corporation is to maximize shareholder value. It usually does this by maximizing profit but not always.

John Henry

DADvocate said...

If it is disclosed in the bylaws and/or offering documents that the company will shut on either the Sabbath or Sunday for religious reasons, the shareholder bought their shares with this understanding and would have no grounds for suit.

Those of us who are old enough remember quite will when many businesses were closed on Sundays. Almost all department stores (Sears, JC Penney, etc.), hardware stores, etc were closed on Sunday. Ironically, for this post, restaurants were one of the few businesses usually open on Sundays.

Hours of operation and such are ultimately decided by who holds the majority of the stock. Any group or individual that holds 51% of the stock or more makes the rules.

Shanna said...

Well, I love their chicken and will continue to frequent them. One thing I love about ChikfilA is their cleanliness.

They recently opened some non-mall chick fil-a’s in my town and they are they are the only fast food place I’ve been to where they actually come around and ask if you want more tea when you eat inside. Amazing! They also have comfy seats, wifi and a pretty nice indoor kids slide.

Not sure why one chick fil-a franchise in pa sponsoring a church meeting that was about marriage, although it’s not clear from the title there was an anti-gay marriage message in there maybe there was, should make me boycott all of them. And I don’t know why anybody gets worked about a private business’s operating hours, aside from the fact that it sucks you can’t go on Sunday. The whole anti-chick fil-a movement is weird.

tree hugging sister said...

"Suddenly...I need waffle fries in front of me.
With some nuggets and a large sweet tea.
"

Tim Hawkins sings about Chick-Fil-A addiction.

There's a lot of folks like him, "Christian" or not. It's just bitchin' chicken with really nice folks who do a lot for the community. I'd eat there MORE often, but the lines are always out the door and that's been true from Norf Cacklelackey (where the pronunciation befuddled California transplant me as well initially) to here in Pensacola.

TWM said...

It's pronounced "chick fill AY" in the South, and pretty much everywhere I have ever heard it said.

I've never eaten there though - after 28 years of marriage I equate chicken with "it's good for you husband food" - although with this moronic boycott, I'm might not pass it by next time.

PaulV said...

Nobody eats at Chick-fil-A any more; it is too crowded

Robert Cook said...

Without wanting to wade through 123 posts on such a slight subject, but of course the company's name is pronounced as "chick filet". I've never heard it pronounced by anyone in any other way for the 30+ years I've been aware of the chain.

Anyone who would have suggested otherwise embarrasses him- or herself! (Even if one were oblivous to the obvious homophone of the name, the "A" set apart by the dash suggests the long pronunciation and not the short.)

Jason said...

I've only ever eaten there once. But I plan to eat it all the time now, just to stick it to the gay protofascists.

Christ, I'm tired of the perpetually offended and their shrieking histrionics.

Skyler said...

Seven proves again that he is incapable of civil discourse and must call people names or else his argument would be dismissed for lack of argument.

I never said Chick Fil-A was publicly traded. I said it was incorporated, which I'm sure it is. Corporations can exist for any purpose and the courts are quite loose in allowing all kinds of behavior if it remotely fits into the reason for incorporation.

So you can have a corporation that advocates piracy and chases down peaceful whaling fleets, or you can have a corporation that buys up land in Laguna Canyon to prevent development, etc.

You can also have a corporation that sells chicken sandwiches and does so within the constraints of certain religious values.

Call me stupid to my face, sometime. We'll see how bold you are then.

HT said...

TWM said...

It's pronounced "chick fill AY" in the South, and pretty much everywhere I have ever heard it said.

___

Yep.

Anonymous said...

The founder of Chick-fil-A is from one county over from where I live. Anyone who doesn't pronounce it "chick fill AY" is a dirty Yankee carpetbagger who's never seen an "Eet mor chikin" TV commercial.

ken in tx said...

I have read that up until the early 20th century, it was considered illegal for a publicly traded corporation to make donations to charity. That is to say they were not supposed to make any expenses whatsoever that were not directly business related. It was considered a violation of their fiduciary responsibilities to the shareholders. This was changed by a court case in which it was ruled that some donations could conceivably enhance shareholder value. Maybe some else can cite the case?

Sigivald said...

Why am I supposed to care about this, exactly?

Revenant said...

A shareholder lawsuit over something like this would be laughed out of court.

The lawsuit thing came up in regards to the company's "never open on Sundays" policy. That almost certainly hurts the company's bottom line, since the number of people who eat there *because* it is closed for the Christian Sabbath are unlikely to exceed the number of people who want to eat there on Sundays but can't.

Jason said...

Berkshire Hathaway had a big controversy among its shareholders over charitable contributions a while back. Warren Buffet and his team came up with a pretty good solution, in my book.

WV: sozes. Kaiser Sozes! Chicken on a Kaiser roll!

MoonPie said...

If CFA ever goes public it would ruin the place. The friendly staff, the cleanliness, the community involvement of the franchisees, all of it would go straight to hell as the one-thing-and-only-thing earnings-per-share types would push it to behave just like every other poor-to-mediocre fast food joint. Neither Cathy nor his family seems likey to heed that siren song, and God bless him for it.

God forbid the public securites markets get ahold of one of the few businesses I truly seek to patronize.

This has squat-zero to do with politics. It has everything to do with executives confuising quarterly numbers with true stewardship of valuable brands and assets. Keep CFA private.

Phil 314 said...

My family loves Chick-Fil-A. The fact that its a Christian company is icing on the cake.
And many evangelicals (that I know) eat there because they like it AND its a Christian company.

Its pretty popular out west. This threat will probably hurt as much as the Evangelical boycott of Disney.

Alex said...

MoonPie - private owners always sell out to the highest bidder. It's only a matter of time!

paul a'barge said...

By the way, I had a Chick-fil-A today for lunch. And I brought a coworker with me. I got the meal with a Deluxe Chicken Sandwich, Waffle Fries and a Coke.

It was delicious.

Thanks, gay activists!! I ate anti-gay. Just for you!

LordSomber said...

Another good thing about Chick-fil-A is that they will sometimes honor expired coupons or coupons for other CFA franchises.

Alex said...

Yeah congrats to all you Chick-Fil-A users! Clogging your arteries with all that delicious fried chicken will sure show those lefties you mean business!

John PH said...

They give a lot of money to groups that are anti-gay before they are almost anything else. I don't think it's all THAT overblown. People give gays crap for whining, but they are practically mute compared to others (relative to what people can still say and do to them of course). Just look at interracial marriage or something. A single little church in Kentucky just voted to not support it, and that made national Fing news. A single little church. Called 'racist' for considering race in marriage. If you'd call Chick-Fil-A "sexist" for considering sex/gender in marriage, you'd just get weird stares by many.