Canada doesn’t need Chick-Fil-A

Contributed Image

Chick-Fil-A is a beloved and highly popular fried chicken American fast food chain that has a legion of dedicated consumers who seem to do their best to overshadow the controversial viewpoints associated with the restaurant.

The franchise recently released its plans to expand to its first international location in Toronto, and it’s planned to open its first set of Canadian doors sometime next year.

Announcements regarding expansion have stated that there are hopes to open 15 restaurants by 2023.

The announcement has been met with mixed reactions on social media — ranging from pure delight over their infamous menu being at the disposal of Canadian chicken and biscuit lovers to disgust regarding the problematic views of the restaurant chain’s CEO Dan Cathy.

Cathy has been open about his opposition regarding same-sex marriage and his dedicated crusade against LGBTQ+ rights, with the fast food chain becoming synonymous with their chicken just as much as their blatant homophobia.

Whether people are willing to overlook this pretty significant flaw for the sake of some deep fried food, the fact remains that their views are discriminatory and not what any establishment should represent.

The media has reported on this development with factual indifference and overblown excitement, similar to when McDonald’s announced that it would be serving all-day breakfast.

At the end of the day, I don’t believe the food from Chick-Fil-A is so amazing that it can’t be matched at any of the local restaurants spread around Toronto.

The focus has rested on the food and the food alone and it takes away from the one detail that shouldn’t really be disregarded like a used sandwich wrapper.

Much like the continuing exposure of celebrities through the #MeToo movement, people continue the debate about being able to separate art from the problematic artist.

In this case, it’s dividing the Southern food served in red and white paper from blatant bigotry.

I don’t think I would be able to casually walk into a Chick-Fil-A knowing that the company’s belief system is tied to a man who is dead-set on exposing his disagreement associated with something that has no effect on him whatsoever across Twitter.

I will never be able to understand why a guy who runs a fried chicken restaurant and has a day-to-day job pandering to crowds of greasy-fingered lunch goers desperate for their nuggets to be dunked in special sauce, would have any desire making his personal beliefs regarding same-sex marriage known to the world so maliciously.

Acceptance shouldn’t be that much of a challenge when it comes to fast food and I don’t believe it’s something that people should overlook for the sake of their favourite chicken order.

You know the state of things have become problematic when Gus Fring, a fictional drug lord and fried chicken business owner from Breaking Bad, comes out on top in this scenario. He at least didn’t treat people like garbage because of their sexuality, I’ll give him that much.

At the end of the day, I don’t believe the food from Chick-Fil-A is so amazing that it can’t be matched at any of the local restaurants spread around Toronto.

There are countless locations people can go to in order to get their fried chicken fix, so it doesn’t have to begin and end with one popular, yet problematic fast food establishment.

The views of Chick-Fil-A should remain in 1946 Georgia, where it was founded and where it should stay.

Leave a Reply