Which came first: The chicken…or the politics?

The Chick-fil-A branch in Woodbridge, New Jersey

It’s one of those restaurants I thought offered nothing special to the palate – like Denny’s or Popeye’s. Just the standard chicken and sugary drinks.

Last Saturday, the husband and I decided to spend some time at Chick-fil-A hoping to catch some news with our fries.

The closest to where we live was a modest Chick-fil-A branch tucked away on the second floor of the Woodbridge Center Mall. It took a while for us to find the place, hidden partly by a Nestle chocolate shop. It was a well lighted, very pleasant place. The room of about 10 tables was half-full on a late morning. The photo of owner Dan Cathy surrounded by young people of different races grins invitingly by the counter.

After sitting down to our order of two boxes of chicken strips & nuggets and peach smoothie, more customers streamed in: an African American mom with her school-age daughters, a young couple in their beach wear, an elderly Asian woman with her adult son and a sprinkling of other patrons. Count us among the diverse customer base.

I wasn’t even eating, just looking around and doing it without calling attention to the real purpose of my visit: To catch a “kiss-in,” a protest action or anything newsy and take photos.

Ever since Cathy declared his support for the “biblical” definition of family (meaning man and woman as parents) gay rights activists called for a boycott of the restaurant chain, citing the owner’s “intolerance.” Chick-fil-A has more than 1,615 locations in 39 states, according to its website, making it the second largest chicken restaurant chain in the U.S.

Conservative politicians, led by Mike Huckabee, rushed to Cathy’s defense and urged supporters to rally behind his restaurants. His call for support has swelled the chain’s patronage with customers waiting in line to get in. Gay rights activists retaliated with “kiss-ins” done within the restaurant premises.

“I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to try to redefine what marriage is about,” Cathy has said in The Ken Coleman Show, which airs online.

The staff was quietly doing its job of taking orders and serving customers when out came a portly woman who could pass for anyone’s grandmother. She had a bubbly personality. She bussed tables, greeted customers, seated them, and thanked those about to leave the store. Two men came in, greeted her with, ‘How’s it going?’

“Great, just doing our jobs and making sure people enjoy their food,” the overly friendly woman chirped.

The lady wandered over to our table, asking if we needed a refill on our water, even though we were having bottled water. “No, it’s okay,” the husband answered, adding we were almost done with our meal.

She chatted up customers, but said nothing about the controversy swirling around her boss and his views. She was like the typical Filipino hostess who would go from table to table, guest to guest to make sure everyone had a great time. “Kumain na ba kayo? Nabusog ba kayo? Kain pa.” (“Have you eaten? Are you full? Have some more food.” ) The charm offensive was in full swing.

More people entered the store, and a short line was forming. We left after hogging our table for several minutes. I hardly touched the food, but the hubby liked his nuggets. — Cristina DC Pastor



One Comment

  1. […] She was like the typical Filipino hostess who would go from table to table, guest to guest to make sure everyone had a great time. “Kumain na ba kayo? Nabusog ba kayo? Kain pa.” (“Have you eaten? Are you full? Have some more food.” ) The charm offensive was in full swing. More people entered the store, and a short line was forming. We left after hogging our table for several minutes. I hardly touched the food, but the hubby liked his nuggets. — Cristina DC Pastor, The FilAm […]

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