Community Corner

Chamblee Chick-fil-A Flier Ignites National 'Fruitcake' Controversy

The chicken fast food chain says the term was not meant to be anti-gay.

The Chick-fil-A on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Chamblee is making national headlines for one of its fliers, which reads, "Only a fruitcake wouldn't love our party trays."

The blog, Towleroad, first posted the flier on Friday evening after one of the blog's Twitter followers tweeted it.

On the heels of this summer's controversy about Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy's statements about traditional marriage and the national spotlight on the company's donations to organizations devoted to heterosexual-only lifestyles, the "fruitcake" term has caused quite a stir.

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Chick-fil-A says the term "fruitcake" was about an actual fruitcake.

The restaurant chain's CMO Steve Robinson told national gay magazine The Advocate on Tuesday:

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"This is an advertisement that a locally owned and operated restaurant has been using for the past five years to promote Chick-fil-A's catering options during the holidays.Β 

It was simply a play on words referring to the traditional holiday food, and the restaurant had no intention of offending anyone whatsoever. We regret the flier may have been taken out of context."

The Chamblee Chick-fil-A owner, who wished to remain unnamed, said, "Anyone who knows me knows I am not like that. I did not mean to offend or hurt anyone."

Leave your thoughts about this flier in the comments below.


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