Chick-Fil-A’s U.K. Restaurant Sees LGBTQ Protest at Oracle Reading | Eater London

"Opening its first U.K. restaurant at Reading’s Oracle Shopping Centre, this massive American fried‑chicken chain is best known for its minimalist, widely imitated sandwich and huge U.S. scale (reported $10.5 billion in sales in 2018 and the third‑largest fast‑food chain by sales behind McDonald’s and Starbucks). The outlet will close on Sundays in line with founder S. Truett Cathy’s stated “biblical principles,” a policy rooted in the brand’s Christian identity. That religious grounding has also drawn sustained controversy: the company has been criticized for millions in donations to organizations that opposed same‑sex marriage and promoted conversion therapy (the latter now dissolved), and for funding channels such as the National Christian Foundation — donations the company said would stop in 2012 but filings show continued giving through at least 2017. Entering the U.K. without the familiar community role it plays in some American regions, the chain faces scrutiny that may make patrons judge it as much for its politics as for its sandwiches; the company says it is focusing on this location as a consumer test while plans for wider U.K. expansion, including London, remain under discussion." - James Hansen