Chick-fil-A, once a fast-food darling of conservative America, now finds itself on the defensive after social media outrage spotlighted its embrace of corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
The Atlanta-based chain, long associated with Christian values and its former opposition to same-sex marriage, is facing calls for boycott after conservatives discovered that the company named Erick McReynolds as vice president of DEI — a promotion made quietly back in November 2021.
McReynolds, a company veteran since 2007, has been in the role for nearly two years. Yet it wasn’t until this week, amid broader boycotts of brands like Bud Light, Target, and Kohl’s, that Chick-fil-A’s DEI initiatives drew sharp scrutiny.
Conservative strategist Joey Mannarino asked his 166,000 followers point-blank if it was “time to boycott.” Nearly half agreed, though a slim majority voted against it.
The anger centered on language from Chick-fil-A’s website, which states: “Chick-fil-A, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.” It also promotes a corporate ethos of being “better together” by combining diverse backgrounds and experiences. McReynolds himself is quoted on the site pledging to ensure “mutual respect, understanding, and dignity everywhere we do business.”
For critics, this is an unmistakable signal that Chick-fil-A has joined the mainstream corporate embrace of DEI policies they see as inherently political.
“This is bad. Very bad,” Mannarino wrote, echoing concerns that another once-trusted brand has “gone woke.” Some vowed never to eat there again, lamenting that the chain may be abandoning the values that made it a cultural safe haven for conservatives.
The company operates nearly 3,000 restaurants across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and in recent years it has deliberately softened its political footprint in hopes of broadening its appeal. In 2019, it stopped donating to organizations associated with opposition to same-sex marriage — a move that already drew criticism from some longtime supporters.
Now, with DEI programs in the spotlight, the chain is caught in the same cultural crossfire that has tripped up other major companies. Whether the boycott talk remains a tempest in a Twitter teapot or builds into a broader backlash remains to be seen.
