A couple of restaurant concepts are taking advantage of the Chick-fil-A controversy surrounding president/COO Dan Cathy's comments against same-sex marriage, by wooing the chain's defectors with new chicken sandwiches.
According to Oregon Live, a couple of Hamburger Mary's restaurants began selling a "No-Hate Chicken Sandwich" made similarly to Chick-fil-A's signature offering.
Ian Cooke, co-owner of the downtown Portland, Ore., Hamburger Mary's location, said the introduction is a way of countering Dan Cathy's "controversial stance."
"Let me tell you, I've eaten the sandwich here, and I've eaten the one at Chick-fil-A, and I think ours is better, and you want to know why? We put love for all people in our chicken sandwich," Cooke said.
The idea for the "No-Hate" sandwich hatched at a Hamburger Mary's franchise in Tampa, Fla.
Additionally, dbar, a Dorchester, Mass., restaurant, added a "Chic-2B-gAy" fried chicken entrée to its menu. According to the Boston Herald, all proceeds from the sale of the new item will go toward the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
The Chic-2B-gAy sells for $19 and includes a boneless fried chicken entrée, homemade biscuit and mashed potatoes and gravy.
Starbucks targeted for Appreciation Day
In response to Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, which was held Aug. 1 and created by former presidential candidate and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, an organization called Equally Wed has declared Aug. 7 as "National Marriage Equality Day."
According to Kirsten Palladino, co-founder and editor-in-chief for EquallyWed.com, the day was originally called "National Starbucks Appreciation Day" because of that company's strong support for marriage equality. The Seattle-based coffee company has offered domestic partner benefits for both part-time and full-time employees for 20 years.
At the urging of Starbucks, the day was renamed so other companies, such as Nike, Target and Amazon.com, could benefit from the day's supporters.
Chick-fil-A's Appreciation Day yielded single day record sales for the Atlanta-based chain.
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