Some people may be boycotting this event because of CF's stand on gay rights. I guess prizes will bring in a lot of people though!! Did you go? If so, did you get a prize?

We don't have them here but I did read in the Seattle paper a while back that three (I think) are scheduled to open sometime this year. Is there something remarkably different than say, KFC? What I find with KFC is every great once in a while I want to stop there. It always smells so good. Then when I've had about two bites, I'm good again - I don't want a whole meal of it.

Someone did bring a bucket of KFC chicken breast tenders to a picnic I went to last Fall and I ate one. All of it ;)

Haven't had anything at Chick fil a I didn't enjoy, especially chicken salad and their nuggets. They are quite different from KFC.

This is the second one in my area, within 10 minutes of eachother.

We have one in the area with Target, etc. I haven't been there, but would like to try it.
Sue

I won't spend my money there as I don't want it used to fund policies that I disagree with. I used to like their iced tea.

They're not as numerous in my area as elsewhere. I've tried their food a few times, and I find it pretty ordinary. For my rare splurges on fast/greasy food, or like on a driving trip when I want something quick and predictable, I prefer to spend the splurge on something really good - like an In N Out burger. Even better are some of the places I know in LA that have been around so long that my parents went to them as young adults.

On a recent trip to the South, I thought I'd give it another try. Had a grilled chicken sandwich and waffle fries. The grilled chicken was blah and the fries were greasy and soggy. No reason to try their food again, as far as I'm concerned. I'm also mildly offended by the owners' public expressions of private and religious views. They're free to feel however they wish, but I don't want to contribute any money to support people with what I consider to be extreme opinions.

They have a buzz and a following, no doubt. From my experiences, I'm not sure why.

(PS - Yeah, I know, the family that owns In N Out is rather of the same ilk, but other than Bible cites printed on their cups, they a bit less in your face about it)

Chik-fil-a is quite popular here. Always a line and the parking lot is full.

I used to have what we referred to as the Chik-fil-a curse. No joke. I had a hair in my food at three different ones in three different cities. I didn't eat there for years. I finally was coerced into going a few years back. It was good and no hair. It appears the curse has been lifted. Lol! I don't do fast food very often so we rarely eat there. If my kids and friends were old enough to get free food for a year, we would do the camp out for fun.

Bible cites on their cups? Who does that?

Do you also boycott businesses that have their goods made overseas and brought here? Or who don't pay taxes, instead get refunds in depressed economies (because they put their stuff in offshore accounts instead of back into the economy)? You should be more up in arms about that! Where do you draw the line?

I really don't care about them being close-minded (and in my opinion, completely wrong) since they sell food, not membership. As a comparison, if I hugely believe in animal rights, and I voice my concerns by boycotting zoos and the circus, those at least correlate.

I assure you, I agree with very few business owners' points of view, including mom and pop stores. I think you're cutting your nose off to spite your face if you don't eat there purely over that. Obviously, not enough people agree, as boycotting didn't put them out of business, and it was years (2012) ago they said that. Alternately, I think those that truly do care, might ought to take it further than not eating there, that is, if it really matters. But it's just an opinion.

We don't have a Chik-fil-a here, but if we did, I wouldn't give them my money. I'm a big believer in not cutting off my nose to spite my face, but with so many fast-food establishments dotting the landscape, choosing another one hardly constitutes a nose amputation. More like a scratch (if that). :-)

Besides, I like only two fast-food items: the veggie burger at Burger King and Wendy's Apple-Pecan Chicken Salad.

But if you believe so strongly, write a letter, round a petition, etc.? Or do you not feel that strongly? It wasn't a big enough incentive for them with just people who quit eating there, because the top post is about another one opening. Not closing. Just curious.

morz8 wrote:

What I find with KFC is every great once in a while I want to stop
there. It always smells so good. Then when I've had about two bites,
I'm good again - I don't want a whole meal of it.

Using that metric, to me they are exactly like KFC. It always seems like a quick way to grab a quick bite, but I would forget that they as-a-matter-of-course put pickles on their sandwiches, which even if you pull them off and throw them away, still leave a taint of pickle-y-ness to the sandwich, which is also too salty, too dry, too bland, with a soggy, flabby bun. So given that, even before they started spouting their views it was usually easy for me to remember to avoid them.

The part that bothers me more than the fact that the owners are proudly announcing that they are narrow-minded bigots, is the number of people who upon hearing that, decide that that is a compelling reason to go to the restaurant.

I believe that not giving them my support is more effective than writing a letter that gets tossed in a pile somewhere. I realize the $5 I don't spend there impacts them very little but that's okay. My personal integrity is important to me.

Unfortunately there are some people who support their causes, and the majority of people don't care enough to inconvenience themselves.

Oh, I meant both. Boycott and letter

I guess I don't understand your point. It sounds like you're saying that one person not eating there isn't enough to change anything so there's no point in avoiding it. And if I'm not spending all my energy letting them know how unhappy I am, then I don't feel strongly enough to make a difference. Is that correct?

If people want to write letters, sign petitions or picket restaurants, that's great. I prefer to use my money. And while the net impact of my decision is overshadowed by people who care more about chicken than human rights, it does make a difference because they stopped supporting many of the organizations that people were upset about recently. And that was a result of media attention and people vocalizing that they won't go there anymore, which is exactly what I'm doing.

"My personal integrity is important to me". Exactly. Nothing turns me off faster than extremism of any kind, political or religious. Or those who think their beliefs give them the right to tell others what they can and can't do.

On the In N Out score, the very self-righteous founders left their multi-billion dollar business to their granddaughter, the sole surviving heir. Her father (the founders' son) had died of a drug overdose, seems he had a recurring addiction problem. The current owner is about 32 and is on husband #4.

The photo illustrates their M.O., started by the original founders. They're right at the borderline of what I can tolerate, but on the fair side. The burgers and fries have a distinctive fresh taste - raw potatoes are cut for fries in full view of the front counter and the meat is similarly fresh, never-frozen. There are better burgers to be had in upscale restaurants that make a point of trying to make the ultimate burger, but nothing similar with so many locations.

The awesome prize, according to the "rules", is one free sandwich meal per week for a year! Good grief.

I was really not saying that about you chi! No worries.

I'm just wondering how it's only "a little" important? Why just one thing? :)

snidely, I am shaking my head. They put bible cites on their cups? Wow.

I love the "WRITE A LETTER!!!!" crusaders! LOL Postal employees? (jk) What so many don't understand is that writing letters to these places is more often playing INTO their hands. Radicals love getting letters, especially religious zealots. Then they know they're "getting to these 'sinners'". They usually take it as a trophy, give a hallelujah and are encouraged to do more. I choose to not support that and have the additional benefit of not spending my money with the post office needlessly.

Having been involved in politics as much as I have I know that in politics, your vote is one voice. Sending letters to certain politicians is no more than an encouragement for them to do the opposite. People similarly vote in retail with their dollars (or pesos, rubles, krone, etc). That's why it's so curious to see people "taking action", by protesting or picketing at the big W store or something while their spouses are inside shopping there! And most of the picketers have many "big W" receipts in their pockets as time goes on.

Doing something is better than doing nothing IMO. There's places I avoid for various reasons. Of course my few shekels won't cause them to close their doors but some of us do things because it's the right thing for us to do. We don't feel we have to shut down those places with which we disagree or kill off those with whom we disagree but we still do what we feel is right for us. I don't expect people to understand this especially when they have a policy that is different.

And admittedly I have certain quirks about retail. I just have a thing I won't pay above a certain amount for certain items. It' my own little protest and again won't change retail but I support those with whom I agree on it. I have a problem with places that charge for condiments for instance. They're little things, I know but still I have problems with supporting it. And occasionally I'll violate the desire if circumstances warrant. I just don't get too radical about things like that. There's other times and places for strong feelings and stronger actions. And an old cripple needs to pick battles at times.

As for Chik fil a, there's only one or two even remotely in the area. So for me it's a moot point. I certainly wouldn't drive a distance to go to a fast food joint in which I have no interest for a number of reasons. If I'm going to go for junk food I'd at least want to try something I haven't tried before or at least have a reason to want to try it and it doesn't sound like they're really much different than the other run-of-the-mill processed pseudo-food providers. No motivation for me to go there.

Am I the only one who thinks that junk food is an inappropriate use of the term "awesome"??? :)