Mario Lopez is in a bit of hot water thanks to Chick-fil-A. The fast-food chain is divisive because of its Christian roots and anti-equality efforts. One innocuous meme is rubbing followers on both sides of the political aisle the wrong way.
Closed On Sundays
Ever since its founding in 1946, Chick-fil-A has been closed on Sundays. The chain’s founder S. Truett Cathy was religiously conservative, and so he chose to honor the fourth commandment and keep the Sabbath holy. The decision, rooted in dogma, has become an effective marketing tool for the company. It helped the chicken restaurant foster loyalty amongst conservative customers.
The unapologetically conservative beliefs of the founder have landed the company in hot water amongst supporters of LGBTQ+ rights. There’s a whole Wikipedia page devoted to the company’s controversial history. For years, the company quietly financially supported numerous anti-LGBTQ+ organizations, though that stopped in 2020. The restaurant has won zero fans in that community, and it’s still publicly viewed by many as an enemy of it.
Mario Lopez Chimes In
For liberals, Chick-fil-A presents a unique problem. Despite its controversies, it still has a rock-solid reputation for tasty food and excellent customer service. As such, many who support LGBTQ+ rights still go to the restaurant. Memes abound about the hypocrisy.
In all likelihood, Mario Lopez did not intend to spark a controversy when he logged on to Instagram this week. He posted a photo of text pleading with Chick-fil-A to hire atheists so the restaurant would stay open on Sunday.
He captioned the photo with the hashtag “ChickFilAHeathensWhereYouAt.” The post earned him nearly 46,000 likes, and it caused a bit of a stir.
Some Happy, Some Sad
The comment section is naturally riddled with reactions across the board. One post disagrees, “Nawww.. most successful business because they got their priories right!” Another endorses this same line of thinking, “No… it’s nice that a company respects Sunday.” A third commenter says, “it so good to find a company that respects God and pays honor to faith over money.”
That last point isn’t exactly true. The company sees increased profits over their competitors throughout the week partially because they’re closed on Sundays. It’s a marketing tool at this point, and clearly an effective one.
Other Side Is Angry, Too
Other commenters took umbrage because of the company’s homophobic history. “Chick-fil-A needs to stop being the largest donor to Anti-LGBTQ organizations.” Another comment takes Lopez to task: “How do you still support Chick-Fil-A with their anti LBTQIA+ support and trans laws. Make that s*** at home. All this money and no education of progression in society, what world do we want our kids to live in?”
That last point isn’t exactly true either. Chick-fil-A stopped funding those groups years ago, but the stigma is still there. Some enterprising folks unaffiliated with Chik-Fil-A have a business where you can get chicken on Sundays for the price of $6.66. Chick-Fil-A is a political litmus test, and Lopez has started the conversation.