American fast-food chain Chick-fil-A has announced plans to open multiple restaurants in the UK from early 2025, four years after its previous foray sparked protests over its founders' opposition to same-sex marriage. The company will invest over $100 million over the next decade, with most sites run as franchises creating 80 to 120 jobs each.
The chain, famous for its chicken sandwiches, first entered the UK market in 2019 with a temporary pop-up in Reading's The Oracle shopping centre. That venture faced boycotts from LGBT rights activists due to the Cathy family's financial support for Christian groups opposed to gay marriage, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army.
Chick-fil-A has since made policy changes, appointing its first head of diversity in 2020 and shifting its charitable focus to education and hunger alleviation. However, the family's Christian values mean all restaurants will remain closed on Sundays, a policy that will apply in the UK.
Joanna Symonds, head of UK operations, said: 'From our earliest days, we've worked to positively influence the places we call home and this will be the same for our stores in the UK.' The chain also highlighted its practice of making a $25,000 donation to local non-profits when opening a new restaurant and donating surplus food to shelters and food charities.
The Atlanta-based firm, founded in 1946 by Samuel Truett Cathy, already operates 2,800 outlets in the US, Puerto Rico and Canada, and plans further expansion in Europe and Asia.
