Soulati-’TUDE – Blog

I adore you for this post. It's right where I sit: "stuck in the middle with you" (queue the music). I love CFA because it has quality food (and yes, when you have kids, the fast food demons creep into your life and it's very hard to shake them), outstanding customer service (Neiman Marcus level), and their bathrooms are ALWAYS clean.  The other places? Not so much. So, do I stop eating there because of Cathy's statements to a Baptist magazine - with which I disagree? Or, do I support his right to express his views, swallow a bitter pill and purchase my chicken sandwich? I don't agree with the all out warfare on either side, but again, respect the rights of each to express their views.

I have trouble with this whole thing, but agree with @barrettrossie that CFA has a strong brand and that this situation has done nothing but strengthen it with its core group. The fact that individual stores brought out beverages to the protesters in most locations was impressive to me. They remained civil, from what I read and I applaud any entity who can do that in the face of adversity, even if that adversity was somewhat self inflicted.  As a friend of mine and I were discussing this issue via private message on FB the other night (as I tend to do on political matters), my friend asked quite innocently "why couldn't Cathy just keep his views to himself? Now I have to really think about where I buy my chicken."  If you're really thoughtful, do you also wonder what you're doing to your gay friends when you continue to buy the chicken, or as is the case with me, stay silent about it on FB?  Silence is just as much of a statement as shouting from the rooftops, but sometimes, that is the only tactic that I can live with at the end of the day.

Muah!

I like this post because you hit the core of business that marketers and ad agencies and pr agencies will.never tell their clients. Great product great service right price and your business will thrive. That is why 5guys burgers has taken over the US. It is why brands do crappy advertising and pr yet boom no matter what dumb stuff they do. I myself never found chi k fila speci.beyond the waffle.fries. and while they have locations in los angeles i never ate at them because they never hooked me back 89-91 when i ate there in college in north carolina.

Jayme, I'm right there with you on feeling caught in the middle. 

What troubled me was that some of the loudest reaction came from people who knew next to nothing about the business. As you showed, CFA is a case study in how to provide an outstanding customer experience.

Their devotion to their values is a huge plus to a most of their customers and their business. 

I'm a contrarian here. Most of your readers probably think Chick-fil-A has hurt its brand. I think the opposite is more likely. Chick-fil-A is more than just food or service. It gives people with a traditional point of view a place where they feel welcome in a way very few businesses do. When Dan Cathy had a chance to walk back his statements from the radio interview... he didn't. I don't think you'd have seen such an outpouring of support had he equivocated. 

But I think people who support gay marriage should consider: Was the best way to change hearts and minds to go out and validate their caricatures of liberals and gays? Or was there a better strategy, a missed opportunity to actually do something constructive? 

In the queue just now...the visionary CEO of Patagonia for tomorrow. Stop back in! Thanks for today, y'all!

I was just putting some finishing touches on my own Chick-fil-A post; glad I read this as you do a nice outline of why they have such strong loyalty: they do a lot right. I'm also not going to go into the politics - not here, not on my blog, not anywhere. Except to say it gives me pause - and I'll think of this whenever my $$ goes to CFA as I'm sure to give into my cravings for Chicken Minis once in a while. I'll question if it'll eventually trickle down to what some would consider a hate group. 

Right now - I'm more curious about where they go. I think this brand is strong enough - b/c of the quality, value, service they provide - can survive. I think they're making some mistakes - and not. It's impossible to win this one honestly; I think at this point the best they can do is step back, try to let the furor die down, scale back on the politics and donations. Just keep selling a product people like, serving their communities (no matter who they are) well - and getting those stories out there. FWIW. 

You know, I think this is a very brave post.  You could have jumped on the proverbial bandwagon like every other PR pro, but instead, you chose a different tact.  And that's what makes you so fabulous! (And I can hardly wait for the post on Patagonia...LOVE that stuff...)

Here is my totally profession-related question: How does Chick-fil-A get control of the conversation about their brand again? Two weeks plus of flame wars on their social media (they seem to have abandoned their Twitter account...I can't imagine the person who has to wade through everything directed toward them). When is enough enough and you HAVE to start deleting and banning? I have that on a much smaller scale with travel and tourism. We had a bad storm roll through and power was out in cabins-even when our companies gave refunds for time unused we had folks trashing every post.

I agree with you about their food, and their customer service, both excellent and I've talked with people who have worked there, they do a lot to keep their staff trained.

I disagree (oh boy do I) with the CEO's views and opinions, but I absolutely think he has the right to have those views and to express them publicly if he so desires.

The problem that arises is that the company is privately held, so when the bulk of the donations to anti-gay causes is made, it is being made by the company, and not from Mr Cathy's funds. If he paid himself that money and then donated it, I'd have no problem supporting the company. But the way it's handled now, the customers all indirectly support the anti-gay causes Mr. Cathy chooses to support.

I went there Saturday; thought I could grab a breakfast biscuit between protests and counterprotests. I've always had positive experiences at Chick-fil-A. Dan Cathy was asked by a conservative Christian radio station and a conservative publication about his company; I'm not sure what people were expecting his answer to be. Maybe he should have realized that with social media, those comments wouldn't be confined to that audience. By the time the headline writers got through, it took on a life of it's own, and the first chicken sandwich of a full-fledged culture war was fired.. You are aware the VP of Public Relations unexpectedly passed away after this issue started. Every thread on Chick-fil-A's Facebook page is now hijacked into a gay marriage discussion, a teenage employee was bullied and berated on a YouTube video by the CFO of a company (who was fired); other employees have reported having been  harassment by protesters. Meanwhile, Chick-fil-A managers gave out water and food to protesters who want to take away their livelihood. 2 locations were vandalized (note: behavior like this makes me less likely to support your cause, not more).  Customers showed their support for the company on Aug, 1 in droves. 

When people tell me they want Chick-fil-A to go out of business (no danger of that), the people who would be hurt are independent franchise owners and employees. Do you know what the personal beliefs of the franchise owner in your town are? How about the McDonald's franchisee? Government officials have no business trying to keep a business out of their community because they don't like to CEO's religious beliefs. 

I don't think it makes you a hypocrite to eat there and not agree with their leader's opinions. I'm pretty sure we have many clients who don't agree with my opinions. It doesn't mean we don't do good work or that we can't help them grow their businesses. That's why politics and religion should stay out of professional conversations.