American fast food chain Chick-fil-A has announced plans to open its first permanent UK restaurant in early 2025, four years after a temporary pop-up in Reading faced protests over the company's stance on LGBT rights. The firm, which is still run by the founding Cathy family, has not yet selected specific sites but said it would invest over $100 million in the UK over the next decade.
The chain's previous UK venture in 2019 at Reading's Oracle shopping centre was met with boycotts and protests from the gay community, due to the founders' support for Christian groups opposed to same-sex marriage. In 2012, then chief executive Dan Cathy criticised the idea of gay marriage, sparking controversy. Activists also objected to the family's financial backing of organisations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army.
Since then, Chick-fil-A has made policy changes, appointing its first head of diversity in 2020 and shifting its charitable giving focus to education and hunger alleviation. The company said it never donated with the purpose of supporting a social or political agenda, and highlighted its current charitable work, including donations to local non-profits and surplus food to shelters, which will apply to UK branches.
Despite these changes, the chain's Christian values mean restaurants will remain closed on Sundays, a policy that will also apply in the UK. Joanna Symonds, head of UK operations, said the company aims to positively influence local communities, partnering with organisations that support them. Each UK branch is expected to create between 80 and 120 jobs.
Chick-fil-A, known for its chicken sandwiches, already operates 2,800 outlets in the US, Puerto Rico and Canada, and plans to expand further in Europe and Asia. The firm was founded in 1946 by Samuel Truett Cathy and has been family-run ever since.
