What do you do when life hands you lemon chicken? You make chicken lemonade! Well, not literally, because ew. But some enterprising organizers are setting out to turn this whole Chick-fil-A kerfuffle to our advantage.
“I’m afraid simply choosing not to eat at Chick-Fil-A this Wednesday ISN’T ENOUGH,” write the organizers of Chick-fil-A Depreciation Day. “We have to STEAL THE NEWS CYCLE. I’m proposing a protest, of sorts — one without picket lines and crude signs.”
Here’s your mission: on August 1 (Wednesday), you go to a McDonald’s. You buy a Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. You take pictures of the receipt and of yourself eating. Take petite bites, because you have manners after all.
And then take those pictures and post ’em where they’ll do the most good: on the event page, on your timeline, and the timeline of your nearest Chick-fil-A.
Will this nudge Chick-fil-A into changing its policies? Well, no, probably not. But that’s not what “STEAL THE NEWS CYCLE” means. August 1 just happens to be the day that Mike Huckabee called for his followers to get lunch at Chick-fil-A, so there’s a danger that the media may simply report that there are lines of happy smiling clean-cut families getting chicken sandwiches.
By creating a counter-protest, “Depreciation Day” nudges into the picture, and reminds reporters that not everyone has warm loving feelings for the restaurant.
Or at least, that’s the plan. What do you think — crazy enough it might just work, or just crazy?
Gigi
I have to eat McDonalds for this? I haven’t eaten anything from McDonalds since I was 10 years old. This is the best they could come up with?
vklortho
Does it have to be McDonald’s? I’ll gladly eat a chicken sandwich from any non-Chick Fil A restaurant, but McDonald’s is pretty gross imo.
Larkin
why no kfc?
Alex
I am in but I am going to a local joint that sponsors the pride festival not Mcdonalds. Will wave a tiny rainbow flag to.
Tessie Tura
McDonald’s Southern Chicken Sandwich is quite good. it’s modeled after the C-f-A sandwich, but isn’t bagged up and shut up in a steam drawer. It’s not like the McNuggets at all.
Hyhybt
If they were still like they were when first introduced, I might go for it. But McDonald’s Southern Style chicken sandwich is only a pale imitation of itself, much less CFA’s sandwich, since they quit using the pressure fryer.
I might well, however, go to Arby’s for what they used to call a “giant” roast beef sandwich before they took away the names. And potato cakes, always with more personality than waffle fries.
Chad
I was thinking of something far more dramatic. Everyone go ahead and eat at CFA on Aug 1st. But here’s the deal take with you cash money $1 bills only, on each bill write “gay money”. Get enough of those into circulation the company would see how much can be gained from the gay community. and it will piss of the conservative customers to have gay on their money.
Hyhybt
@Chad: That doesn’t do anything but increase the cost of printing replacement bills. When damaged bills make it to the bank (likely in that day’s deposit, rather than their being returned to other customers as change, unless they’re all the store has left to give out) they’re set aside, and eventually sent back to the federal reserve to be replaced with new bills.
Michael
@Chad…even conservatives usually accept “gay money”. It all spends the same and I for one don’t want to give them one red cent of my hard-earned gay money.
Kev C
I think it’s a dumb idea. Here’s what I would do: Find a homeless person – the dirtiest one you can find. Give him or her money to buy a Chick Fil A sandwich and send them inside to eat it. Take pictures of the reactions and post them.
LaTeesha
This queen will be at Dairy Queen on the first of August to try out the new Blizzard of the Month. Besides DQ’s chicken strip basket with that white country gravy kicks Chick-Fil-A’s ass – any day.
Bryan Irrera
@Alex: I think the message is clear. If we eat chicken ANYWHERE else, be it at KFC, Popeye’s, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, or at a locally owned eatery (probably our BEST choice), we are not eating Chick-Fil-A. I do actually enjoy that “Southern Chicken Sandwich” (it’s a Chick-Fil-A clone through and through). At our local AcMe (an Albertson’s chain of supermarkets) they also have a near clone sandwich.
dee-dee
Thanks for that picture Queerty. I HATE clowns!
doug105
The new McDonald’s CEO is more then enough reason to go someplace else.
http://gay.americablog.com/2012/03/new-mcdonalds-ceo-is-big-homophobe.html
Jose
I’m sorry, but how incredibly stupid! A corny picket signs sound a lot better than spending my money in an extremely unhealthy meal with a dead chicken in it.
Why not donate $5 to an LGBT RIGHTS organization? Help fund those fighting proposition 8 or DOMA?
We should be productive, not just get fat on the corpse of a chicken.
walt zipprian
I’m frying my own damn chicken.
tookietookie
I’m not subjecting myself to McDonald’s. I would rather just not get gay married then.
Codswallop
It’s pretty stupid to limit it to ONE chain. Why not just “Take a photo of yourself eating a non-Chik-Fil-A sandwich or chicken”? There are plenty of reasons for not wanting to patronize McDonald’s.
Chance
There are two much better ideas already out there.
#1 Friday, August 3 is Chick-Fil-A same sex kiss day. How many same sex kisses can we get at Chick-Fil-A during their appreciation day…?
#2 Go in on Aug 1 with your significant other (or just a same sex friend willing to play along), buy one milkshake (or whatever drink) and two straws…something inexpensive…slowly consume it together, taking up as big of a table as possible. Be polite, but kill the necessary element of the fast-food (or, restaurant in general) business of “turn-over), taking up as much room as possible for as long as possible for one little drink, being shared by two same sex people, being all lovey-dovey but not obscene.
RomanHans
I’m with Jose. Better donating $5 to a gay center near you.
SteveC
I like chicken but I will be going vegetarian for tomorrow.
Sohobod
I wish there was a Chick-Fil-A in London, so I could campain to have it closed down.
Pam Reed
I think the only ones who are intolerant are the “gay” community. I respect the CEO of Chick-Fil-A and his right to stand by what he believes. I will be taking my family out to dinner at our local Chick-Fil-A on the first in support of their 1st amendment right.
Wayne Wilkie
Who are the radical hate mongers, it is not the CEO of Chick-Fil-A. I will be eating at Chick-Fil-A as my choice of fast food.
Joh
@Pam Reed: So sad that they donated that
2 million dollars to fight marriage equality then to help feed needy families no?
I thought you were going to buy fifty CFA dinners and donate them to feed the needy
At your local mission?To feed the homeless? Change your mind?
Chance
@Pam Reed: @Wayne Wilkie: How are WE the intolerant ones and the hatemongers? There is a difference between standing up for what one believes and using their money to try to deny others equality. Chick-Fil-A donates money to organizations that use the political process to try to either keep us or make us second-class citizens, and I don’t think that calling them on it (and not eating there to keep our money from being used against us) is intolerant or hatemongering. It’s standing up for what we believe. And one person’s rights END where another person’s begin. So don’t try to scream “FIRST AMENDMENT!” as so many are trying to do in this situation. Because yes, they do have the right to say what they want. And they have the right to their religious beliefs. The problem is, when you try to enshrine your religious beliefs (gay marriage is wrong!) into the law of this country, then YOU are the ones violating the first amendment. There’s not just the “free exercise” clause about religious freedom, there’s also the “establishment” clause. So trying to work against marriage equality, as Chick-Fil-A is actively and POLITICALLY doing by giving to organizations that use their money to try to enshrine “Christian morals” into LAW is as much or more a violation of the First Amendment as me calling them on their crap.
AaronT
Just out of curiosity, how did a Pro-Life ad end up on this page? Really, Queerty? I’m not saying every Pro-Lifer is anti-gay, or that every gay is Pro-Choice, but… come on.
Kilo
http://gay.americablog.com/2012/03/new-mcdonalds-ceo-is-big-homophobe.html
Oh the irony of your article. Please see above.