Stuart Gaffney, media director of MarriageEquality USA, told SF Weekly that he wasn't confident the fast-food chain would thrive in this neighborhood.
"I think restaurant customers in Marin County will keep in mind that Chick-fil-A takes their profits and ... funnels them into their charitable arms" for organizations that fight equal rights for gay people, he said.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Rolf, executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Center, encouraged the heartburn-inducing eatery to "rethink their corporate policies in opening a business here in the Bay Area" -- an area, which, she pointed out, has a wildly different demographic than its Atlanta base.
The deep-fried chicken controversy began when the company's CEO, Dan Cathy, admitted his fast-food chain operated on biblical values and openly opposed same-sex marriage. This infuriated gay rights advocates across the nation, including San Francisco where Mayor Ed Lee publicly snubbed the restaurant, saying it was not welcome here. Protesters called for boycotts and organized kiss-ins in front of the Fairfield location, just 40 miles from San Francisco.
As it turns out, the fried chicken company scoffed at his threat, and took a 20-mile leap toward San Francisco. And it doesn't plan on stopping there: Chick-fil-A has its eye on locations in Walnut Creek and Mountain View, too, according to media outlets.
Chick-fil-A has over 1,600 restaurants nationwide. Fifty-two of these
are in California, but only one is currently located near the Bay Area,
according to the company's website.
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