(NewsReady.com) – Chick-fil-A has long been a favorite of conservatives. Meanwhile, liberals have been boycotting the company for more than a decade. The beloved fast food giant is now facing backlash from their most loyal customers.
On Tuesday, May 30, Chick-fil-A was trending on Twitter over the company’s decision to add a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) page to its website. The drama began the night before when conservative Joey Mannarino posted a tweet saying, “Chick-Fil-A just hired a VP of [DEI].” Immediately, people started accusing the company of going “woke.” Some people began calling on their peers to boycott the company.
The news about Chick-fil-A’s DEI team is actually nothing new. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the webpage has been included on the fast food company’s website since 2020. It lists the company’s values and commitment to the communities it serves, saying, “we’re better together.”
The company pledged to focus on ensuring equal opportunity, honor “unique experiences and perspectives,” and promote and sustain a culture where everyone can thrive. The page also says the company is an “equal opportunity employer that values diversity, equity and inclusion,” vowing to maintain a workplace that is “free from any form of harassment.”
Though Mannarino claimed the company just hired a vice president of DEI, that wasn’t true either. Erick McReynolds was actually hired for the position in November 2021, and before becoming VP, he was the executive director of DEI for more than a year beginning in July 2020.
Mannarino went on to say that Chick-fil-A’s decision to hire a DEI head means the company’s infrastructure will become “less white, way less male, and way less straight.” If that happens, he says the company will be “way less valuable.”
Chick-fil-A operates almost 3,000 restaurants in 48 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Many of the restaurants are owned by individual franchise operators. The company hasn’t commented on the uproar.
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