The Antelope Valley Times

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Valley residents support Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day

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Wednesday, several diners flocked to the Chick-Fil-A restaurant closest to the Antelope Valley at 24180 Magic Mountain Parkway in the Westfield Valencia Town Center.

SANTA CLARITA – The nearest Chick-fil-A is more than 40 miles away, but that didn’t stop local supporters from making the trip to enjoy a meal at the chicken fast-food restaurant Wednesday.

David Darr drove his wife and two other friends from Lancaster to Santa Clarita in a carpool to offer support.

“I’m here because former Governor Mike Huckabee suggested that this would be good day to have a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day,” Darr said.

Darr was one of several people who flocked to the Chick-fil-A restaurant closest to the Antelope Valley in honor of Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day on Aug. 1, a movement initiated by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to counter the backlash Chick-fil-A has received because its leadership opposes same-sex marriage.

The restaurant’s Santa Clarita location experienced good customer traffic from the late breakfast hours to the peak of the lunchtime traffic.

Towards the beginning of the lunchtime period, the line in the store began to flow out towards the front entrance, and by 11:20 a.m., customers had to stand in line outside the restaurant on the asphalt driveway.

“I support their values, beliefs, and how they run their business,” said Kelly Meyer, children in tow on Mom’s morning out. Meyer said she made a particular effort to show up Wednesday because it was Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.

Other customers, who declined to be interviewed, also offered support for the Chick-fil-A chain.

The support comes in the wake of recent comments made by the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Dan Cathy, that sparked a national furor over gays, gay marriage and the restaurant chain.

Listen to Dan Cathy’s remarks here:

Following the remarks, several leaders of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community called for a boycott of the chain.

Still, the restaurant posted record-setting sales on Wednesday for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, according to Steve Robinson, Chick-fil-A’s executive vice president of marketing.

“We are very grateful and humbled by the incredible turnout of loyal Chick-fil-A customers on August 1 at Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country. Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day was not a company promotion; it was initiated by others,” Robinson said in a press release. “While we don’t release exact sales numbers, it was an unprecedented day.”

Chick-fil-A is a Georgia-based company with more than 1,615 locations in 39 states. It posted $4.1 billion in sales for 2011.

The company is a privately held, family owned business that closes on Sunday, which “make(s) us a stronger company and a Chick-fil-A family,” according to the company’s website.

Chick-fil-A is also listed as one of the businesses residents would like to have in Palmdale, according to the City of Palmdale website.

(David Cox is the publisher of wanderingpilgrimsprogress.blogspot.com.)

Filed Under: Palmdale

36 comments for "Valley residents support Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day"

  1. Protestors from the LGBT groups are no less bigoted than the likes of George Wallace, Tom Metzger, and Malcom X.

    It is the actions of the LBGT crowd that have caused me to support Cathy and Chik-Fil-A all the more, because of the complete overreaction to what should have been a blip of a story in the news.

  2. I’m all for SSM, I don’t see why we heterosexuals should be the only people to have to put up with mother-in-laws & live in misery…

  3. bravo to chick-fil-A for sticking to your morals and values…more people in this country should do so as well.. just curious tho, to those of you that belong to the GLAD movement, would your business survive if people boycotted it just because of your sexual choices? wouldn’t you want everyone to support your company? I think you ought to re-think your boycott stand on companies that don’t agree with your choice of a “sex life”..

  4. Chick-fil-A is also not open on Sundays, keeping the Sabbath is one of the core values of the company. Where’s the protest about that?

  6. Brilliant advertising on the part of Chick-Fil-A, indeed… In the short-run at least… To a growing number of people, the arguments against same sex marriage are very similar to the arguments against interracial marriage prior to 1967. When I say “growing number of people,” I mean that. The proportion of those for and against gay marriage continues to shift towards those in favor of marriage equality for gays. With this in mind, after the hype has died down from this and as opinions continue to shift, CFA will probably be hurt in the long run.

    Indeed, people have freedom of speech, and more power to you for stating any opinion you have. Personally, I have no hate for people based on their opinions (CFA included). However, it stumps me as to why people are celebrating their statements. If they were standing out against black/white marriage, would they be celebrated for “exercising their free speech?” I doubt it.

    • It’s interesting that you misrepresent what happened with Mr Cathy, the CEO of Chick-Fil-A. It was an interview where he stated his PERSONAL views. This had nothing to do with their company policies.

      The political hucksters within the GLBT community has tried to make it about a company discriminating which is very far from the truth. As a former business owner (now retired) I didn’t care if you had a bone through your nose. If you have the money and you’re not creeping out the other customers, come on in!

      If the GLBT people want to sell chicken, more power to them. Leave Chick-Fil-A alone. If you have a better product, it will last and that is what Chick-Fil-A has done for a very long time.

      Besides, banning inter-racial mariage was something the Democrats did. Now Democrats want to ban Chick-Fil-A.

      • “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”

        Sure seems like he was speaking on behalf of the company to me…. and regardless party, the comparison between interracial and gay marriage is strikingly similar.

        Now, I also disagree with any local government trying to enforce ‘moral’ issues, such as Chicago.

  8. Either brilliant advertising, or just a company that is on the side of good. Either way, it’s GREAT.

    • TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE

      Would you fly an airline that crashed 50% of the time? I’m sure you would. Heterosexuals have made a mess of ‘traditional marriage’ and the bigots think that denying same-sex marriage is the solution.

      Ya see, Abe. The more you express your bigotry, the more it illustrates that you have to counterbalance your own repressed homosexuality. It’s like those counter-balance shafts in 4-cyliinder engines to keep them running smooth. If you weren’t repressing, you wouldn’t give ****.

      If a same-sex couple down the street from you gets married, it has no real impact on you except for your obsession to deny your own ‘inner sissy’. Do you have a big black pickup truck so everyone knows you’re compensating for something?

      • So, why is it that when somebody doesn’t share your view (about half of the country does, by the way), you resort to calling them gay….which apparently you consider an insult? I guess that’s the response of a frustrated guy who has no real come-back. I suppose you have a problem with Chick-Fil-A closing on Sundays….or is that because they are all closet homosexuals?

        • Abe, you are always ranting about homosexuals. I was pointing out that it’s very often due to repressed homosexuality on your part. It’s the repression and attendant hypocrisy that I’m riding you for and I love riding you.

          I don’t consider that ‘calling you gay’ is an insult. I’m talking about your repression and hypocrisy. Normal, self-confident straight guys don’t have a problem with gay marriage. It doesn’t affect them and they aren’t repressing anything like you and Ace do.

          Was I right about the pickup truck? Did I get the color right?

          Look at Ace’s comments on homosexuality. He’s got issues but they are within him. He just can’t see that.

          So, every time you need to make nasty remarks about homosexuals, it’s like Nixon saying “I am not a crook” or a kid with pudding all over his face saying “I didn’t eat the pudding”. Really? It’s like you’re ‘outing’ yourself every time you do it even when you think you’re doing the opposite.

  9. Most successful free advertising scam in the entire history of fast food. Every other fast food company is wishing it had created this controversy first.