So Chick-Fil-A has been under fire ever since their company president and COO, Dan Cathy, stated publicly in Baptist magazine that he believes in the traditional family unit and does not support same-sex marriage. Consequently, many people, including the mayors of Boston and Chicago, and the American media, railed against the company. Chicago mayor Rahim Emanuel even stated that Chick-Fil-A's values don't reflect the values of the city of Chicago and he would not allow another franchise to open in the city. So about a week ago, I found out through Michelle, my friend in San Diego, that Mike Huckabee was organizing a Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day for August 1. I decided immediately to participate.
After a Wednesday morning round of disc golf at Wheeler Park, I left the house at 10:40, arriving at the Schaumburg Chick-Fil-A around 11:15. I figured it would take 15 minutes or so to get my lunch and that I could make the 20-minute drive back to Hoffman Estates and get to work on time at noon. Well, that didn't happen. Because what I saw amazed me. The two drive-thru lanes must have had 20 cars lined up in each queue. And the line for inside had already stretched outside the door.
The restaurant lot was totally full so I parked in the Champps lot. I then walked a good two minutes to the back of the line. With a long wait ahead of me, I chatted with a few people. One was a short, silver-haired woman who told me her story of how she and her parents escaped communism. She told me she was coming not just to support traditional values, but because she believes in free speech and that’s why America is the best country in the world. I thought that was just tremendous. There were three guys from O’Hare right behind me too. I didn’t chat too much with them; they were kind of in their own world, wondering if they could get back to work on time. I have to admit I was thinking the same thing about myself! Then, there was the guy in front of me who looked like a young businessman. Blue button-down shirt, cache pants, and constantly checking his Motorola. He casually remarked that he thought the place was offering free sandwiches and if that's why everyone was lined up.
I got inside around 11:35 and placed my order, the #6 combo meal. I ordered four chicken tenders with honey mustard, waffle fries, and a sweet tea. Yeah, I wanted a healthier side dish, but come on, do I really have to settle for carrot/raisin salad? And cole slaw is out of the question! Maybe I should have upgraded to a side salad for $0.50, but hey, dem’s the breaks.
So I joined the mob of people waiting to get their orders. The staff would come out with trays or to-go bags and screaming things like “I have an order for Paul G!” Or “Kimberly F!” And we would all immediately shout out “Paul! Where are you, Paaaul! Kiiiiim!” Sometimes, they would be standing behind the condiment counter and have almost no way to get to the front. So a few of us would take their bag or tray and pass it on back to them, like crowd-surfing in a mosh pit! I never knew waiting for food could be that much fun.
After they called my name, the cashier offered to top my tea off, which was very courteous on his part. I got my food and headed outside around 11:50. And the line which was maybe 50 people long or so, well it wasn’t shrinking. It was now wrapped all the way around the restaurant and there must have been a good 200 people outside trying to get inside. A few people even offered to buy my food from me! But I had no time to waste; I jumped in my car and headed west on Golf Road and then Higgins Road towards Prairie Stone.
I wound up arriving at work 15 minutes late and totally drenched after sprinting from my car to the door. And within two minutes of clocking in, Adrian came over to greet me for our monthly 1-on-1. So it took another 30 minutes before I even got to eat! So from the time I got my food to the time I ate, an hour had passed! It was worth it though. Though I have to say, I’m not a fan of their honey mustard, for me, it has too strong of a Dijon taste. I’ll stick with the honey BBQ from now on.
Emanuel needs to realize that as mayor his job is not to preach his personal values to the citizens he supposedly serves. And he has no place comparing the supposed values of the city of Chicago to any business. And of course, these freaking liberal radicals from GLAAD encouraged gays to go to Chick-Fil-A, kiss, and then send the pictures to Facebook and Twitter. Really classy move, just the kind of desperation and paranoia I would expect from them. Bottom line: these ultra left-wingers who push tolerance and inclusion down the throats of all Americans frequently can't handle someone who disagrees with them and then they vilify them. How much more hypocritical can they get?!
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