Chick-Fil-A’s First U.K. Restaurant Will Close After LGBTQ Protest | Eater London

"Opened on 10 October at the Oracle shopping centre in Reading as what appeared to be the brand's first step into a major European expansion, this restaurant was forced to close after just eight days following pressure from local gay-rights groups and a media row about the company's history of donations to anti-LGBTQ organisations. The shopping centre said it would not renew the lease beyond an initial six-month pilot and described that decision as "the right thing to do." The wider company, founded by Truett Cathy who opened a diner in Atlanta in 1946 and whose Christian-based philosophy leads it to close on Sundays, has long been controversial for multi-million-dollar support of groups that opposed same-sex marriage and for backing a now-dissolved organisation that promoted conversion therapy. The outlet’s abrupt closure underscores the reputational risks the brand’s political and religious associations pose to its international expansion, despite its popularity for fried chicken sandwiches." - Adam Coghlan