The Real Reason Chick-Fil-A Got Banned From This New York Airport
Fast food restaurant Chick-fil-A's origins go way back to the 1940s, when its founder, S. Truett Cathy, first opened the Dwarf House (via Entrepreneur). It was there that Truett Cathy invented Chick-fil-A's infamous chicken sandwich, and about two decades after opening the Dwarf House, the businessman kickstarted the official Chick-fil-A revolution by opening the fried chicken chain's first store in 1967.
Undeniably, Chick-fil-A is a name to reckon with in the fast food industry today. The brand has stayed true to many of its original principles, such as being closed on Sundays so that its employees can "rest and worship as they choose". More proof that the brand is devoted to its past, per The Chicken Wire, Truett Cathy's original chicken recipe is so sacred that the company has locked up the creation — which they still use unchanged — in a vault located in its Atlanta headquarters. Chick-fil-A's adherence to its traditional principles has also gotten it into a fair amount of trouble in the past, specifically for its actions towards certain sections of the community. In fact, this stance is even connected to why the brand was not able to go ahead with its plans to open in a New York airport last year.
It's got to do with the brand's stance on equality
Chick-fil-A's views on LGBTQ+ rights haven't been exactly well-received in the past. According to NBC News, the brand was barred from opening a location in the food court of New York's Buffalo Niagara International Airport last year because of the fact that Chick-fil-A has been known to financially support anti-LGBTQ+ groups, something that has made many criticize the fried chicken company (via USA Today).
According to NBC News, Buffalo Democratic Assemblyman Sean Ryan said in a statement last year that he supported the ban. "The views of Chick-fil-A do not represent our state or the Western New York community, and businesses that support discrimination have no place operating in taxpayer-funded public facilities," Ryan said. The brand, for its part, insisted that it values equality and diversity as an organization. In a statement on the continued backlash, Chick-fil-A said that it wholeheartedly embraces people from all groups, and welcomes everyone into the Chick-fil-A community, irrespective of their "religion, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity".