Open Thread: Did You Eat at Chick-fil-A Today? (UPDATED)

Headed there now with the family in tow.  Spicy chicken combo for Jeffersonian.

It was packed for lunch in Edgewater and Kent island, MD (cars spilling out of parking lot onto grass.)  Everyone was happy to wait in line and a spirit of cheerfulness was evident.

My kids thought we should eat breakfast, lunch and dinner there to be completely supportive .

Yes! And we went with another family. Went for an early dinner which was a good thing for it was very very very busy ....
Fort Worth, TX

Yes. I went for a late lunch and, as above, it was packed. I waited in drive-thru just under 1 hour but, again, glad to do it. AND I WORK FOR THE COMPETITION!

#4 By the way, I went in Fullerton, CA.

Three meals for three generations of us here in Auburn, Alabama! It was lively and most endearing. Hoping we could get that many people to attend Church.

Ha-ha, as if.  The store in Des Peres, MO was overflowing.  We couldn’t even get into the parking lot.  Local media was there, too.  I was disposed to waiting, but we had a 2 year-old in tow, and it’s 100 degrees out, so we just went to Mickey D’s and had a chicken sammich in honor of CFA.

Ammakate, sorry but my son pastors in Cottondale…War Eagle…but his youth group is celebrating the day with a ‘pig (chick)_out tonight with several hundred nugets.  We live in the twilight zone, in ‘fly-over country’, an have no Chick-fil-a anywhere near us.

I found a new store in a relatively light commercial area.  The restaurant was full but no line, and the drive-in line was only about 5 minutes.  Had a nice breakfast.  A few minutes later, I drove past another store in a huge shopping area.  Filled to overflowing does not begin to cover it.  According to the local radio, the lunch crowds were much larger. 

Our stores were too crowded at lunch, and we were too hungry to wait for dinner, but I gave my moral support to those at work who were headed there for dinner.

Not a chance.  The line was over 45 minutes long.  I support them, but I gotta eat, too!

Returned home about an hour ago from the local mall food court in Fairview Heights, IL (Metro-east St. Louis).  My daughter and I had our first ever Chick-fil-A sandwiches.  O.M.G! I have a new fast food favorite (sorry Jimmy Johns).

The food court was very crowded - probably about 175 people.  I noticed only 8 or so customers at the other (7, maybe 8) food establishments.  We waited 20 minutes to order (all registers were open) and another 30 minutes to receive our food.  Yet the customers were patient and helpful to each other.  While we waited in line, managers offered us cups of lemonade, handed out I-heart-Chick-fil-A stickers and thanked us for our support.  The staff was polite, efficient, and appreciative.  It especially made me smile to see that the tables in the food court formed a sea of Chick-fil-A bags and drink cups. 

I hope that all of these employee receive a nice bonus for their efforts today.

I am thrilled that a standalone store will be opening in this same town tomorrow.  I may need to come here to shop more often!

The CeeBee and me (well, I, but me rhymes better) joined the throng for the dinner shift here in B’Golly.  We got there late (for us), but the drive-in had 20-ish cars and the dining room was full with a long order line.

Drove by the local Chick-fil-A (Hendersonville, NC) and it was packed. A huge back-up on the road there, parking lot full, people waiting outside, so I decided to wait until tomorrow to go for lunch!

Mea culpa, I did not.  The closest one that I could locate on their map was about 300 miles from here, and I would have been missed me at work if I had extended my lunch hour to accommodate the drive.  But I will stop the next time I pass one when on the road.

I went during a normally downtime- 10 AM- and it was very busy.  Heard from a friend who went for lunch that it was packed and everyone began singing “God Bless America,” bringing tears to her eyes.
Never thought I would see the day in America when mayors would threaten to run a Christian business out of town (not that they have authority to). Thanking God for our forefathers and the Constitution.

Headed to my nearest store (northwest Chesterfield county VA near Powhatan county) with two young grandchildren.  At 6 PM, there were no spaces in the parking lot, the drive-thru line went completely around the building and out into the street, blocking the nearest intersection.  As I drove by, I could see about 20 people waiting in line to get into the front door.  I went to another casual dining outlet in the same area and noticed it was significantly more crowded than usual for 6 PM.  I do believe this was from overflow Chik-Fil-A customers.  When I left this restaurant around 7 PM, I drove past Chik-Fil-A and it was just as crowded as at 6 PM.  A family remember reported the same situation at the Chik-Fil-A near Ashland, VA.

My wife and I did.  The store was located in a Mall in Exton, Pa.  It was crowded and there was about a 30 minute wait from getting in line to getting your order.  I don’t know what it is like on a normal day.

I was reminded just how good their chicken sandwiches are.

I went to the Chik-fil-A in Wheaton, just west of Chicago around 3 pm, hoping to avoid both lunch and dinner crowds.  The restaurant was packed even then with the line to order stretching to the far end of the restaurant and doubling back again to the door near the front counters and from there out toward the parking lot.  The service was remarkably fast and the employees cheerful and polite.  One guy standing in line said he had been by the Chik-fil-A in Schaumburg (Chicago NW suburb) and said the line stretched all the way around the outside of the building.  So he decided to drive south to Wheaton instead.  Another women walked in and exclaimed, “Now I see why they weren’t answering the phone when I called earlier to get directions.”

Did anyone go to the one Chik-fil-A located in Chicago proper?  None of us standing in line thought there would be any coverage at all from the Chicago media.

I did! Mine is in Aurora, CO, which has 3 of them. I went because Chick-fil-A is a good company: they treat their employees well, offer a quality product, and have been stewarding their resources so well that they have been expanding while many businesses are closing down. In a world where bad business is the norm, I’m pleased to support good business.

Yours in Christ,
jacob

Sadly, there are very few CFA’s in New England   :-(

We did in Covington LA (Metro NOLA)..... Crowds were tremendous… The drive-thru line was so long that they were taking orders in the parking lot and calling them into the store…. It was very moving, truly brought tears to watch the people streaming into the store… Young and old, parents and children…. May God bless and multiply our efforts today….

Jeffersonian already called the scene at “my” Chick-fil-A so I could only make a “spiritual communion.”

Yes, and we made a point of it.
We went early—about 11:00—to get ahead of the crowd.  And it was a good thing as the place filled up right behind us.

There were 3 cars of state troopers there, but I think they were just having their lunch.  No sign of protesters or complainers.

I recommend the #4 meal spicy chicken sandwich.

elanor says very few CFA’s in New England - amen!  Closest to me is >180 mi away, down in MA.  The closest chain-linked (;=>)fast fooderies are the better part of 30-min by car after 30-min by boat.  Not far from the fast places is a fabulous pizza place, all made there, exc quality…..  bacalava….  Sorry to see/hear the crap being thrown around.

#23, we go out to dinner every Friday night, rotating who gets to pick with a “no whining” rule from everyone else.  My pick was last Friday, and I chose CFA because I figured tonight would be a zoo and I wanted two things:  1) to express my support and 2) a good chicken sandwich.  I got both.

We tried, but when we arrived, the restaurant was out of food!

None especially near me and a friend reported a long line at the one that is closest, but I will make a point to eat there the next time I’m in town.

How I wish I could have!  The closest is in Moscow ID, some eight hours away from here.

Wassn’t able too because I had to do a working lunch. I will try tomorrow to go to Chick-Fil-A if there is time. However, I might wait till Friday when the GLBT crowd has their “kiss-in”.

One restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas, reportedly closed at 9:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM because they ran out of food.

My husband and his office went to one of the Chik Fil As in our town for breakfast. I went to another and picked up lunch for myself and my child. Then I saw a television reporter setting up his video camera outside the restaurant parking lot. Armed with two bags of food an iced tea, and a chocolate milkshake (my kid got that), I knew he would want to interview me. I gave him the “First Amendment” speech.

Glad to see on Fox News that the good folk of Chicago lined up to support their local Chik Fil A too!

The wife and I now live 40 + miles from the nearest CFA so today we had chicken here in our town and thought of the better chicken at CFA.  Next Time we’re in Tyler we’ll eat there.

Yes, we did here in Lakeland.  Packed, drive through backed up for some distance.  Understand from a friend that the other site was just as packed.

I was there standing up for free speech.  The line was an hour long to order food in the store at dinner time in Erie, PA and the drive through line was around the building.  Surprisingly there were quite a few tables available.

Oh yes and I’m going on Friday too! My friend who works there says his restaurant could clear 60k dollars in one day which would be a record for that store. (McDonough , GA)

My staff and I had planned on going to the one in the city where we work (Frankfort, KY).  Unfortunately, it is located on campus at Kentucky State University and we found that building is currently closed for renovations.  I plan on going to one in Lexington on Friday to show support and snub ny nose at the grotesque “kiss-in” pickets, if there are any.  Local papers and TV news reported huge crowds at the Lexington locations yesterday.

5 of us ate dinner at the Gulfport, MS Chick-fil-A last night.  Line out the door, 4 cops directing traffic on busy HiWay 49.  The store manager told us the busiest was at lunchtime.  In spite of the thousands served during the day she said not one person had been rude, not one person was impatient, that it had been a pleasant affair all day.

I was at the one in Woodbridge, VA, also but around 2pm. Very full then, too. I was about the 30th person in line outside the building. I don’t know how many were ahead of me inside. Both the staff and the patrons were fun to be around. Nice group of folks.

Oh yes… and I understand the place was packed from the time they opened the doors until at least 9pm. The drive-thru wrapped twice around the building and off into the parking lot of the grocery store beside it and both entrances had a pair of lines out the door… yet I didn’t hear a complaint (and the staff’s service level was as high as ever). If only supporting free speech and family values could always be so easy (and tasty!).

Odd that I couldn’t identify any of the anger and hatred that all those facebook posts told me was rampant (outside of the FB posts of course).

On an unrelated note: I’ve been avoiding their milkshakes for years now… but since it was for a good cause…

Here in Sarah Hey land of upstate SC, I tried to take my two boys (who had asked for Chicken nuggets and having no idea that it was a CFA day) at 2pm. I had hoped the line would be reasonable. WRONG! The line wrapped all the way around the building, with more folks getting in line. Given that I had two hungry, grumpy and impatient little boys who were not wanting to wait, we went to Zaxby’s and ate chicken in CFA’s honor.

The common thread I keep hearing in all these posts is that hundreds of hungry people were packed at each restaurant and the pleasantries kept flowing. Some elected to turn away due to their time constraints for lunch, but otherwise they too would have been included. It will be interesting to see what behavior follows on this Friday’s planned demonstrations.

So I went over to Jim’s Naughton’s “Episcopal Cafe” and here is what one commentator cited as evidence of Chick-fil-A’s anti gay agenda:

In the year 2010 alone, WinShape donated nearly 2 million dollars to groups with anti-gay agendas:

$1,188,380 to the Marriage & Family Foundation founded by Bubba Cathy (Dan’s Brother) which provides funding to organizations that preach that the American family is threatened by the proliferation of same-sex couples
...
$1,000 to the Family Research Council (which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because of the provable falsehoods it spreads about gay men and lesbians);....

$1,000 to Exodus International, an organization dedicated to “curing homosexuality” and whose board member Don Schmierer had a hand in the creation of a bill in Uganda that could “punish homosexuality” with death.

Thanks #24, You can always count on the Episcopal Cafe for a *different* view on things. Yeah. right. whatever. I put Jim Naughton’s blog in the same category as Steve Skardon’s <a >SC Episcopalians</a>. WARNING: Truth may be crushed here!!

By the way, some ani-Chick-fil-A folk went yesterday. Check out this little gem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPLNgkP9nzc&feature=player_embedded

I read a couple of stories and have come to the conclusion that unless you support the LGTBetc in same sex marriage, they strongly think we hate them. A point the media keeps reporting, we hate them. I don’t hate them, I just disagree with them.

I support traditional marriage but to me this was a freedom issue. However, I am going to think twice about patronizing a company that supports the LGTBetc issues and may quietly not shop there anymore if I have a choice.

Went yesterday with two other couples—same report as most everyone else.  The place was packed, friendly and the usual good food.

Our take of the mood and atmosphere is that it was very similar to how things felt when we went to our Congressman’s town hall meeting in the summer of 2010 and to other town square tea party events that fall.  Enthusiasm and a spirit of polite defiance.

Bodes well for November 6!

Just stopped by CFA near work for Thursday lunch.  DT line 1-1/2 times around building with a walker taking orders, plus people walking in from nearby parking lots.  I guess there are “thousands” of “haters” who are still hungry.

My wife and I went to the Chic-Fil-A in Dadeland Mall, Miami, and the line was through the food court to the outside.  It took about 30” to get served.  The young man in line behind me was monitoring the story around the country, on his smartphone, and said “this is what America is all about!”  I felt sorry for the other food vendors, who were getting no business and had lots of food to serve.  They attempted to attract people in line with free samples, but got very few takers.

I just feel sory for those yankees who voted in such toxic leaders (D) and now won’t get to eat that great food.  We’ll surely enjoy it though.

I just passed a Chick-Fil-A and it was packed and cars were lined up onto the street.  A bit of a traffic jam.

I hope they make a billion dollars this week and that they donate it all to support Traditional Marriage Groups.

I really appreciate everybody who commented here. There are a few common motifs that need to be shouted from the rooftops:

1) In contrast to what happens all too often when leftists engage in public protest, there was no violence, no damage, not even any ill-will at having to stand in line. And the employees, who were no doubt overwhelmed by the non-stop, overflowing traffic, kept a smile the whole time, even in the face of stupidity (if you haven’t looked at the YouTube item Robert Lundy linked in #44, you should—it’s the face of self-righteous jackassery at its worst).

2) People got that this wasn’t about gay marriage, but freedom. I’m sure that most of the folks who ate at Chick-fil-A yesterday supported Dan Cathy’s view of marriage, but that wasn’t what roused them to give the company its best sales day ever. It was to stand with a fellow countryman and support his freedom to do business in the face of the Thought Police who run some of our biggest cities.

3) Finally, and this may be the most important for the longer-term, I think people all around the country are finally coming to understand that there is a strain of liberalism, represented by gay rights groups and some elected officials among others (pro-choicers and environmentalists have their share as well), that is essentially totalitarian in its intolerance of dissenting points of view. Some of us have seen that at work for years now, but a lot of politically disconnected people, as well as political moderates and independents, have had their eyes opened to the realization that for some on the left, debate is over, disagreement with their agenda is no longer allowed, and you must comply. That strain is profoundly anti-democratic, and while it may be OK for Boston or Chicago or San Francisco, most Americans reject it strenuously, and will outside of certain far left enclaves punish politicians who choose to identify with it.

I think that last point needs to be driven home again and again, David #51.  I’ve said before, here, that I am okay with same sex marriage as a matter of public policy.  But that doesn’t appear to be enough for the Left, who demands that any and all expression of disapproval be subject to state sanction in some form or another.  That I am not okay with, and it has me rethinking whether my libertarian instincts on the subject are, in reality, unleashing a wave of pro-gay fascism.

If gays want to get hitched in the eyes of the state, fine.  But I won’t stand for them using the power of that same state to shut people up or to force them to associate with those whom they find repugnant.

51 & 52,

I believe there are two types of liberals;

1.  There is the liberal who truly believes the State is the best instrument for addressing some social problems, eg homelessness.  They have somehow come to believe that the compassion in government [?], buttressed by its police powers, can do far more good than communities, cities, or states alone.  And so, with good intentions, and flawed logic, they advocate for more government.

2.  Then there is the totalitarian liberal who recognizes that raw power can be accumulated by cloaking the quest for power in compassionate sounding liberal causes.  After all, who doesn’t want to save the planet, house the homeless, feed the hungry, provide unlimited healthcare and cell phones to everyone?

So, the compassionate liberals get the ball rolling and then the totalitarian liberals co-opt the cause and take over to consolidate more power in their hands.

Look at the gay movement: it started out by gay folks asking that their behavior be decriminalized and that they not be discriminated against for jobs, etc because of their homsexual orientation.  Compassionate liberals pushed that cause through government intervention.

Now the totalitarian liberals have taken over and as David noted, you are branded as a hate monger if you do not toe the gay agenda line and agree with it lock stock and barrel.

Environmentalism started the same way; stop polluting and clean the dispoiled earth.  Now we have the EPA goon squads with drones patrolling farm lands to ensure that cows don’t crap in the wrong places.

Hey Everybody!  I’ve got an idea!  Sing along, all together now -

“YOU CAN GET THE FIL-A YOU WANT
IN DON CATHY’S REST-AU-RANT . . .”

What if the ordained among us went to CFA with our collars on this Friday?

Another related idea:  There has been so much happening about how children are “bullying” other children and the need to get control of that problem… 

What a wonderful thing the CEO of CFA could do by identifying clearly the bullying behavior of those city mayors for what it is and then (1) refusing to be bullied out of his rights to free expression and (2) refusing to let those mayors bully his legitimate businesses out of those city markets!

In an similar way, we would do well not to allow ourselves to be bullied out of our churches…

Yep, we went for early breakfast yesterday in Chas, SC - not overwhelmingly packed but appeared to be a nice steady stream. I guess chicken for breakfast is a stretch for some! I appreciate the distinction made above between compassionate and totalitarian libs.  It’s not enough to have a place at the table along with the rest of us schlubs. The fundy libs want control of who sits at the table, where the table is, what the menu is, how the restaurant is laid out, and don’t appear to be sorry to close it all down if it furthers the cause. (Sorry for the rest. analogy - CFA got me thinking!)

American habits of polarizing and vitriolic speech are being challenged.  We can not let this simply go by.  In addition to the National Support Chick-Fil-A Day and the National Gay Kiss at Chick-Fil-A Day, we present: National Yell at Everybody at Chick-Fil-A Day: http://www.facebook.com/events/480545411958593/ .  Americans who appreciate and understand our traditions of pugilistic discourse and divisive polemicism will most certainly want to take part.  And if you don’t - you’re an un-American élitist intent upon perverting the American way of life.

Yes. And, I don’t like their sandwiches.

Thinking about borrowing a collar and going back tomorrow. With another guy.

The chickenhawks will be out in force. Leather, perhaps. The slogan “Eat mor chikin” might mean something different tomorrow.

What baffles me about Friday is that the homosexual activists apparently intend to offend others by doing what they say is perfectly natural and right, to them.

What this shows is that they know perfectly well how offensive it is. And don’t care.

I think that to show heterosexual America what homosexual practice is really like, they should bring in the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Dykes on Bikes. Folsom Street Fair. Sitges Gay Pride. The Bishop of [deleted, since there are multiple candidates].

You know, normal stuff like that. The kiss is so boring.

I drove by Chick Fil A and the drive through and walk in lines were crazy long so I skipped it.  Will go on Friday when the workers may need a kind word of support and the peach shake supplies should be replenished.  Might even give a smooch to that man I’ve been married to 29+ years if he can go with me.

Interestingly, the University of Louisville was talking about kicking Chick Fil A off campus but have reconsidered.  They finally got the memo that diversity of opinion doesn’t mean only liberal academia’s opinion is welcome.

The shop I went to in central Florida was not overflowing, but comfortably full.

Apparently, Aug 3rd is the anniversary of ... AUG-3, 2003: Deputies ratify Robinson’s election.

It always seems to come back to Gene Robinson.

Now that I live in the Atlanta suburbs, I have a choice of Chick-fil-As to choose from.  My former fellow New Englanders can eat their hearts out. 
Since I am not a big fan of crowds I thought I should avoid the REAL support day.  I also thought I would like to avoid the August 3 gay demonstrators.  So Thursday seemed like a great day to have lunch at Chick-fil-A.  As it happened there was a Chich-fil-A right next to a store where I needed to go.  So I did not have to pull my car into the pretty full parking lot, I could just walk from the store’s parking lot.  I had to wait in line for several minutes to order and then I had to take my seat (at the last available table!) and wait for my meal to be delivered.  There was a pretty long wait in the drive through, too.  I am not sure if this is unusual, though, since it was lunch time.  I would like to comment on that video from comment #44.  The man was obviously a bully.  I am going to guess, since the company fired him on the spot, that he might have had previous impolite occurrences.  When the unfortunate employee said that she was uncomfortable with his videotaping her, he should have stopped immediately.  She should sue him for harrassment.  Now the poor young lady has her face all over the internet, which she did not want.  It is just wrong.  I have to say that given the circumstance that she was very polite.