Chick-fil-A Draws Huge Crowds for Appreciation Day
Chick-fil-A Draws Huge Crowds for Appreciation Day
By JENNIFER PRESTON
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/chick-fil-a-draws-huge-crowds-for-appreciation-day/
A video of long lines outside a Chick-fil-A at the Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Hundreds of thousands of people across the country headed to Chick-fil-A restaurants on Wednesday, answering a call from Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, to show support for the fast-food chain after the company’s president drew criticism for his opposition to same-sex marriage.
Long lines were seen outside Chick-fil-A restaurants nationwide, and many customers documented their visits on social media sites and shared their reasons for eating at the chain.
Many said they showed up because they agreed with the position of Chick-fil-A’s president on same-sex marriage, while others said they wanted to support freedom of expression for business owners.
As my colleagues Kim Severson and Robbie Brown report from Atlanta, where Chick-fil-A began in the 1940s, the president, Dan T. Cathy, made comments last month about the biblical arguments against homosexuality. This prompted calls to boycott Chick-fil-A that were supported by the mayors of Boston and Chicago, along with plans for a same-sex kiss-in at the restaurants on Friday.
Last weekend, Mr. Huckabee used his television and radio programs, as well as Facebook, to help organize an appreciation day for Chick-fil-A on Wednesday.
More than 650,000 people signed up to participate, and tens of thousands “liked” photos of packed restaurants that Mr. Huckabee posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday.
