15 September 2023 , 09:34
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American fast food chain Chick-fil-A is planning to relaunch in the UK just a few years after closing its first UK pop-up store.
The first restaurant is planned to open in early 2025 - and it will be the first permanent Chick-fil-A store outside North America. The company currently runs 2,800 restaurants in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Chik-fil-A plans to open a further four stores, which will be run as franchises, in the first two years creating between 80 and 120 jobs per site. The locations of its stores have not yet been announced. The fried chicken sandwich chain says it intends to invest $100million in the UK over the next decade.
This isn't the first time Chick-fil-A has made an attempt in the UK, it first opened a pop up store in Reading in 2019. However, the store in The Oracle shopping centre in Reading, Berkshire saw campaigners protest outside the site because the chicken shop chain founders had financially supported Christian groups who opposed gay rights such as same-sex marriage. Due to the backlash, Chick-fil-A's six-month lease was not extended, with the Oracle at the time saying it was "the right thing to do".
Chick-fil-A was founded by Samuel Truett Cathy in 1946 who “based his business on biblical principles”, and is still owned by the Cathy Family today. The family are known for being devout Christians and these beliefs are entwined into the running of its restaurants. Chick-fil-A stores do not open on Sundays, a policy that will also apply in the UK according to reports.
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The chicken shop chain's corporate mission statement is “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."
The Cathy family have donated money to various organisations in the past, some of which have been linked to anti-LGBT+ beliefs including Exodus International, an organisation that advocated gay “conversion therapy” until it shut down in 2013, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which opposed same-sex marriage.
Policy changes have been brought in at Chick-fil-A over the last few years as it appointed its first head of diversity in 2020 and has changed its approach to charitable giving, focusing on education and hunger alleviation. However, Peter Backman, an independent food sector analyst, told the Financial Times that Chick-fil-A may struggle to win around UK consumers because of its evangelical Christian stance.
He said: “Successful restaurants, being very personal businesses, try to align their culture as much as possible with that of the customers they serve. That is obviously a challenge when the corporate culture is very strong in areas where the market isn’t. Chick-fil-A with its very strong religious, Christian ethos, needs to bear in mind that less than half the British population identifies as Christian.”
Anita Costello chief international officer at Chick-fil-A said: "We are excited our restaurants will bring new jobs and opportunities throughout the UK. Serving communities is at the heart of everything we do at Chick-fil-A, and our unique local owner-operator model provides one of a kind access to entrepreneurial opportunities."
“We look forward to sharing our authentic Chick-fil-A experience: providing fresh food prepared with high-quality ingredients, served with our signature hospitality.”