Controversial US fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, which has funded anti-LGBTQ+ efforts in the past, is planning to open restaurants in four British cities.

The chicken sandwich chain announced plans to open outlets in Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool and London over the next two years as part of a long-term commitment to the UK. Previous attempts to expand into the UK market failed in the face of public boycotts due to the company’s opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.

To mark the openings, the brand has pledged to donate £25,000 ($33,500) per restaurant to a local charity. The chain already has more than 3,000 stores in the US, Puerto Rico and Canada, but the UK stores will be the first outside North America.

Each restaurant will be locally owned and operated. Head of UK operations Joanna Symonds said: “The impact our restaurants have on the communities we serve has always been important to us and we strive to make a positive impact across the UK.”

Anita Costello, Chick-fil-A’s chief international officer, said they were excited to bring “delicious food and unique hospitality” across the pond. “From creating jobs to supporting local causes, we are excited about the positive impact our first restaurants will have in the communities they serve,” she added.

What was the dispute between Chick-fil-A and the LGBTQ+ community about?

Chick-fil-A had previously attempted to expand into the UK, opening branches in Reading, Berkshire and the Scottish Highlands. However, the chain attracted controversy over its founders’ support of anti-LGBT+ organisations and the restaurants quickly closed.

In 2011, it was reported that the Chick-fil-A Foundation had donated nearly $3 million (then nearly £1.9 million) to a group opposing marriage equality, and two years later it was revealed that donations against the LGBTQ+ community had almost doubled.

In 2012, Chick-fil-A’s billionaire chairman, Dan Cathy, reiterated his opposition to same-sex marriage. He later expressed regret that the company had become embroiled in a controversy over LGBTQ+ rights, but said his views had not changed.

“Ultimately, we have a responsibility to keep an eye on the organization as a whole, and that must take precedence over personal expression and opinion on societal issues,” he said.

Although Cathy promised in 2019 to stop donating to anti-LGBT+ causes, he quickly changed his mind.

Although the company had announced two years earlier that it would stop donating to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations, in 2021 it was reported that several Christian billionaires, including Cathy, had donated large sums to the National Christian Charitable Foundation, which reportedly campaigned to repeal the Equality Act.

The first Chick-fil-A restaurants in the UK are set to open in the new year and will reportedly create around 400 jobs.

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