At the end of last month, the world’s largest Chick-fil-A opened in New York City. Standing five stories tall in the Financial District \u2014 with its included rooftop terrace \u2014 the Fulton Street Chick-fil-A opened to an enthusiastic crowd, eager to get their hands on that tasty fried \u201cfil-A.\u201d (Personally, I tend to crave those tasty grilled nuggets along with the \u201csuperfood\u201d broccolini and kale blend.)<\/i><\/p>\n
It took little time, no less, for The New Yorker <\/i>contributor Dan Piepenbring to blast one of the country\u2019s most popular fast food franchises, calling it a \u201ccreepy infiltration of New York City.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Said Piepenbring: \u201c\u2026 the brand\u2019s arrival here feels like an infiltration, in no small part because of its pervasive Christian traditionalism\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n The piece elaborates by mocking and criticizing much \u2014 from Christianity to all things Chick-fil-A \u2014 their practice of being closed on Sundays, their intentional sense of community, their slogans, smell, spelling, and promotional use of the cow\u2026 “If the restaurant is a megachurch, the Cows are its ultimate evangelists\u2026 The joke is that the Cows are out of place in New York\u2014a winking acknowledgment that Chick-fil-A, too, does not quite belong here\u2026\u201d <\/i>The author adds that Chick-fil-A\u2019s \u201carrival in the city augurs worse than a load of manure on the F train.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n The author takes issue with statements and support Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy made six years ago, speaking out against gay marriage. He sincerely disagrees with Cathy, but then allows his disagreement with Cathy\u2019s personal conviction to evolve into a denigration of the entire existence of the franchise.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s acknowledge other activity by Chick-fil-A\u2026<\/p>\n When a major power outage stranded tens of thousands of passengers at Atlanta\u2019s Hartsfield-Jackson airport last December, Chick-fil-A (on a Sunday),<\/i> handed out sandwiches and water. Said a spokesperson for the company: \u201cThe mayor called about 10pm and asked for assistance. We immediately mobilized staff and team members who live and work near the airport, and they are making sandwiches and delivering them to the EOC (emergency operations center). City and airport officials there are distributing sandwiches to passengers who are stranded due to the power outage. It has been a very difficult day for thousands of travelers, and while Chick-fil-A is always closed on Sunday, our restaurants open occasionally to serve communities in need. We do not make a profit, but do what we can to offer comfort to people experiencing hardship.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n In January in Georgia, all food was stolen from a food pantry set to distribute meals to more than 60 families. When hearing the news, multiple nearby Chick-fil-A locations promoted one evening in which they offered a free sandwich or nuggets to any who brought canned food to donate and help re-stock the ministry’s shelves.<\/p>\n Chick-fil-A is known for countless examples of giving to those in need \u2014 from the over $19 million given in scholarships the past 14 years through the Peach Bowl \u2014 to the Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, \u201can annual charity motorcycle tour to raise money for, among other charities, Victory Junction, a camp for terminally ill children.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps the most poignant example, however, but omitted in The New Yorker<\/i> column, was how Chick-fil-A responded in the immediate aftermath of the deadly shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando in 2016. Multiple Chick-fil-A employees (again, on a Sunday)<\/i> worked and took free food to the scene. Said a company spokesman: \u201cThe events in Orlando stirred our local restaurant owners and their teams to band together to provide nourishment to first responders as well as volunteers who donated blood. We do not think this requires any recognition.\u00a0It is the least we can do in this community we love.”<\/i><\/p>\n \u2026 the least we can do in this community we love\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n What\u2019s wrong with us?<\/p>\n What\u2019s wrong when the only angle we can see \u2014 even in valid disagreement \u2014 keeps us from seeing any other good in another?<\/p>\n Respectfully\u2026 always\u2026<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the end of last month, the world’s largest Chick-fil-A opened in New York City. Standing five stories tall in the Financial District \u2014 with its included rooftop terrace \u2014 the Fulton Street Chick-fil-A opened to an enthusiastic crowd, eager to get their hands on that tasty fried \u201cfil-A.\u201d (Personally, I tend to crave those … <\/p>\n