It’s all Chick-fil-A all the time in this edition of The Week in Ideas.
Idea #1: Appreciation days. Chick-fil-A experiences a backlash to the backlash against its owner’s comments against gay marriage. Supporters organize an appreciation day and show up at the restaurant in droves, leading to a record-setting day of sales. A good way of making lemonade when your owner gives you anti-gay lemons.
Idea #2: Go against the boss. Meanwhile, New Hampshire’s only Chick-fil-A announces plans to co-sponsor a LGBT Pride Parade. “It would make me sad if someone felt that they were not openly welcomed into my life or restaurant based on their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender,” New Hampshire Chick-fil-A franchise manager Anthony Picolia said in a statement.
Idea #3: Go against your boss II. Guess what? Gays are making your Chick-fil-A sandwich. And they’re starting to talk to the press, against company policy, to let people know what they think about their boss’s opinions.
Idea #4: Practice hospitality. Restaurants are in the hospitality business. Telling a group of people—a group of potential customers and employees—they are inferior to you because of your religious beliefs isn’t very hospitable, or good business, regardless of how many appreciation days your fans sponsor. Maybe we should all take a cue from Aaron Collins. Collins died unexpectedly earlier this month. He left a will, though, which instructed his family to go out for pizza and tip the waiter $500, just to be nice. Collins’s family started a website to take donations to help carry out the wish. They’ve raised enough to give 95 waiters a big tip. Pretty awesome.
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