Chick-fil-A is once again attempting to expand into the UK, in a move they just announced a few years after meeting criticism from the LGBTQ community, which ended in the franchise subsequently pulling out of the whole UK operation.
LGBTQ controversy was sparked when it was alleged that the chain had donated to groups that opposed same-sex marriage, and the LGBTQ community in general.
Chick-fil-A put the brakes on the train in 2019 when they recieved major backlash, and protests against the fast food restaurant.
The chain announced last Thursday that they would be moving forward once more in the UK, opening five locations in the country starting in 2025, and spending $100 million over the course of a decade to invest in their across-the-pond venture.
Chick-fil-A said it would: “be the first permanent store outside of North America.”
“We are excited our restaurants will bring new jobs and opportunities throughout the U.K.,” Chick-fil-A Chief International Officer Anita Costello said. “Serving communities is at the heart of everything we do at Chick-fil-A, and our unique local owner-operator model provides one-of-a-kind access to entrepreneurial opportunities.”
Despite Chick-Fil-A repeatedly being voted one of the nation’s favorite fast food chains, Chick-Fil-A hasn’t been able to get it together and make a go of it outside of the US due to it’s nebulous stance on the LGBTQ community.
When former CEO, Dan Cathy commented in an interview for a Christian publication that he believes in the “biblical definition of the family unit”, it gave the impression that the chain opposed same-sex marriage. And to the community, the cat was seemingly out of the bag.
The LGBTG controversy and the muddy waters that surround the chain’s stance on LBQTG rights and related issues, have given the fast-casual restaurant a bad reputation and crippled growth overseas.
If all goes well this time around, the chain hopes to also expand to Asia and other European countries.
