Chick-fil-A has been in the news several times for poor public relations. Dan Cathy, the president of the company, announced his position about gay marriages and how he supports the “biblical definition of the family unit.” After that announcement, many gay activists and other supporters staged protests around the United States. However, even with the bad public relations, the company reported in 2012 an increase in profits by 12 percent ($4.6 billion).
The chaos that stifled enthusiasm for the fast-food chain among pro-gay rights consumers also inspired criticism from some conservative customers. Shortly after the negative reactions from the communities throughout the U.S., Chick-fil-A held a Customer Appreciation Day. The company even made Huffington Post’s Biggest PR Disasters Of 2012 List Heavy On Food Companies. After all this negative public relations, the company still turned a profit.
In 2012, Chick-fil-A opened 96 new restaurants. Since the controversy, Cathy supposedly befriended the top LGBT rights activist. However, not everyone in the LGBT community is convinced that Cathy has turned a new leaf. John Nelson and Robert Stiefler, who run a satire Chick-fil-A Foundation, tested the limits of the company.
The two men created a fake coupon to exchange their homosexuality for a Chick-fil-A sandwich. The chain that Nelson and Stiefler went to redeem the coupon did accept the offer for free chicken sandwiches. They caught the entire event on video. That video was released on Jan. 6, 2013 and has received over 86k likes to-date.
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