I personally will be excited. I live in Texas and my daughter lives in Maple Grove. When I come to visit I always have to smuggle Chick-fil-la on the plane.

Dee in Texas

I've never heard of Chick-fil-A, but I welcome them to the neighborhood!

Chick-fil-A is the BEST SOUTHERN FAST FOOD CHAIN TO EVER EXIST. The UofM Coffman has a small location with a limited menu and food that's always luke-warm and overpriced. This is heaven-sent!

That would be such a hit in maple grove!! It will be awesome!!!!!

A lot of people in Maple Grove will be very excited to have a Chick-fil-A, including me!

The location would be great. There are no fast food restaurants with a drive through near that area. From Hemlock lane it takes a but to get to weaver lake road where all the other fast food is. Despite the, in my opinion, terrible layout of getting in and out of the fountains, this will be great

We're excited to hear that our favorite restaurant is coming to our hometown! No moe having to travel south to get a great chicken sandwich.

This is really great news. This place will be a hit in Maple Grove. May raise a few eyebrows being closed on Sundays though (:

This actually sucks. A lot.

Reason being, I love Chick-Fil-A's food. Hands down and bar none, their basic chicken sandwich is the best I've ever had anywhere. Period. Seriously, the thing is spectacular. It's like nothing else.

However, I swore off of Chick-Fil-A forever when it started coming out just how vehemently homophobic they are on a bedrock corporate level. I mean, these idiots hate gay people like a fat kid hates a treadmill. It's just as disgusting as their sandwiches AREN'T. And that's saying something on BOTH counts.

However, I'll admit that it's a lot easier to stick to my principles considering that there's not a Chick-Fil-A for 500 miles in any direction (And yeah, I know there's one on the U campus, but it's a kiosk, so it doesn't count. Not that I've checked).

Point is, as much as I like their food, I have a REALLY hard time giving money to people who promote hatred. Everything just winds up tasting like oppression.

What Jim said.

I am so stoked about this! Just moved three miles from Arbor Lakes and am already in the area so much! I will be one of the first 100 people in the door!

I think it is wonderful they are going to be in Maple Grove! I used to live in Florida and have missed having a Chick-fil-A close by. First Nadia cakes, now Chick-fil-A. What's next? Could I put in a request for a Dunkin Donuts? ;-)

guess this means i can stop buying plane tickets just to get passed the security gate for a chick-fil-a. those were some spendy sandwiches and i was going broke.

The Chick-fil-A listed in Minneapolis is a Chick-fil-A Express in the U of M student union. It is an authorized seller of their products (just sandwiches I believe), but is run by the campus food service, so this will be the state's first full Chick-fil-A unless one opens before.

Excited to hear this news!

It's too bad they have such a terrible, discriminatory ethical policy toward gay people. I'd like to support them, since they're building a location in our community, but I can't support a company with such hateful policies.

I sure wish we didn't have to drag politics in absolutely everything. You know what's also hateful? Hating everything and everyone that doesn't agree with you. Lighten up.

You're right, Joe. It IS hateful to disparage those you don't agree with. And that's the main reason why Chick-Fil-A will never see another dime of revenue from MY pocket.

I am with Jim. As for Lee's statement, if we don't stand up for what is right in this world, we would still have slavery, no mix marriages, etc. Yes, I agree that we don't need to drap politics into everything, but it goes both ways for business's too. If they are going to stand on something, then the public has a right to stand for or against them, reason we call this America. I myself never have had eaten at this restuarant franchise, nor will I ever for 2 reasons, first, we have enough junk food/fast food places here in Maple Grove, we don't need one more, second, they are against my right to marry whom ever I want, I have a right to not grace them with any $$ from my pocket. I would love to see the council of Maple Grove revoke their right to build here now since from what I see, Maple Grove has a growing gay community within it.

I would normally be excited for something new to be opening up as i'm always a supporter or new business, however i will not be supporting this one and will make sure that the people around me understand my choice and make their own informed choice. A company that blatantly spews hate into the world and uses our money to do so, is counter productive to where our society is headed. I wouldn't normally say things like this, but they go out of their way to take a stance against the GLBT community that my family and I will not support that. Everyone is allowed their opinion and thats great, but be an informed consumer who is doing what they can to spread their views on a younger generation!!!

I totally agree that this is NOT the corporate values we should foster in Maple Grove. I will NOT SUPPORT their deplorable human rights position!

Really, you people act like they don't hire gays or don't serve gays or advocate beating them up in the streets. They do in fact treat gay people with respect. The owner just happens to believe that they should not get married and that being gay is a sin. That's his choice. They do not discriminate as a company.

Sorry but supporting traditional marriage does not make a person a discriminating hater of gay people. Similarly, someone that supports gay marriage is not a discriminating hater of straight people. Everything is over-hyped and sensationalized these days. If you don't want to buy their food, fine. But you got to far when you accuse the company of hating gays.

Dear Friends
I can see the Chick-fil-A debate has reached our friends in Minnesota. I own and operate a Chick-fil-A franchise, so this argument is very personal for me. It is also personal in that I have gay friends, gay family members, gay team members and yes even gay guests who frequent my restaurant. I don’t believe I am anti-gay; realizing there is a little bigotry in all of us and it may slip through from time to time.

Some have asked me how I can be associated with a company that is so openly anti-gay. I will be honest for a moment there after I heard Dan’s remarks on traditional marriage I asked myself the same question. In my twelve plus years as a Chick-fil-A franchisee I had never heard Dan use language which could even remotely be called judgmental, but I heard judgment in one of his statements and I was disappointed. But for many reasons I will continue to be a franchise owner. Here’s why. First I know Dan and all of the Cathy Family to be good generous people; people who embrace God’s commands to love God and love our neighbor. Like any of us they don’t always do that perfectly; never have, never will. They are human after all.

Also, from the depth of my being I do not believe Chick-fil-A is anti-gay. Never have I or any franchise owner I know or anyone at Chick-fil-A corporate headquarters discriminated against anyone based on their sexual orientation. Discrimination is simply not part of Chick-fil-A’s DNA. Founder, Truett Cathy is 91 years old and built Chick-fil-A from one small restaurant in Atlanta to over 1600 nationwide. Chick-fil-A does not claim to be a Christian company but does pride itself on operating the business on biblical principles. All 1600 plus stores are closed on Sunday to give team members time to rest and be with their families. Chick-fil-A is privately owned, operates debt free and its corporate purpose includes the charge “to have a positive impact on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” We strive every day to do just that.

As a franchise owner my relationship can be summed up in one word - grace. I love the way Peter Marty describes grace – “it rings with the priority of divine generosity, outpacing every other form of gift-giving ever known to the world. Though it defies any classification, grace is a beautiful word that has a way of intoxicating all who care to load up their hearts with the riches of faith.” As a Chick-fil-A franchise owner it’s okay if I have differing views than Chick-fil-A leadership in regard to homosexuality and other hot button issues. We can respectfully disagree and it does not hurt our relationship. In fact it does quite the opposite. Our differences cause us to grow, as an individual and as a company. This reminds me of something I heard at a recent college graduation: “There is nothing wrong with holding an opinion and holding it passionately. But at those times when you’re absolutely sure that you’re right, talk with someone who disagrees. And if you constantly find yourself in the company of those who say “Amen” to everything that you say, find other company."

As Chick-fil-A comes to the Twin Cities I respectfully ask for your grace. (Since, our daughter recently graduated from St. Olaf and loved Minnesota so much she decided to stay, our family is hoping to relocate to the Twin Cities and open one of the first Chick-fil-A franchises.) Please do not judge us until you have eaten with us and gotten to know us. One of the things I love about Chick-fil-A is something we hear often from Chick-fil-A leadership: “It’s not about the money.” And I can honestly say that is so true. Our purpose is clear - to positively impact the lives of others. One vision I have for my restaurant is to be a sanctuary for grace and reconciliation. It saddens me our nation and our communities are so divided; with great people on either side of the divide. I hope Chick-fil-A can be a place of renewal and restoration. People come to Chick-fil-A hungry but not always hungry for a Chick-fil-A sandwich. We are called to feed your hunger, regardless of what that may look like. Some may be hungry for a sandwich, but others for just a smile and a caring word. Some may want a milk shake and others may tired and just want to let someone else serve them for a change. Some may want waffle fries and others just a safe place to be who they are: gay or straight; black, white or any other color; Christian, Muslims, atheists or any other faith; Vikings fans or Packers fans and even a Colts fan or two…you get the picture.

When it comes down to it - all we really have is this one life. How we live it is our choice. I believe every day God will confront us in the most difficult of circumstances of life and every day we will need to choose our response. And every day – if we are listening God will invite us out of ourselves long enough to engage someone – whose fears, wants, loves, and needs are at least as important as ours. When that happens, let’s choose grace over judgment, choose forgiveness over wrath, choose love over -- everything. Be so beautifully who God wants us to be that we take a risk and be gracious. That risk will have its reward.

Thanks for listening. Sorry it was so long. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

Nancy:

Your heartfelt defense of Chick-Fil-A is obviously sincere. I have no doubt that your experiences as a franchisee have been positive. However, something you said stuck out to me. Specifically:

"...[F]rom the depth of my being I do not believe Chick-fil-A is anti-gay. Never have I or any franchise owner I know or anyone at Chick-fil-A corporate headquarters discriminated against anyone based on their sexual orientation. Discrimination is simply not part of Chick-fil-A’s DNA."

I'm sorry to have to disagree with you, but numbers don't lie. According to a variety of sources, Chick-Fil-A as a corporation actively gives large donations to openly anti-gay groups. In their corporate financial statements for 2010, Chick-Fil-A donated the following amounts to the following groups:

Marriage & Family Foundation: $1,188,380. The MFF is an organization begun by Chick-Fil-A Senior VP Cathy in order to “pool funds for a national marriage media campaign and provide start-up grants for local initiatives to promote stable, lasting marriages.” And they define those marriages as one man / one woman.

Fellowship Of Christian Athletes: $480,000. The FCA claims to have "freed" People From Homosexuality. They hold an annual conference that the Director once described as an event where "God freed some people from homosexuality, sexual sins, addictions and even ushered newcomers into His Kingdom." Additionally, the application to become an FCA Ministry Leader requires applicants to agree with the FCA's Sexual Purity Statement, which condemns gays for engaging in an "impure lifestyle."

National Christian Foundation: $247,500. The NCF is a grant foundation that donates heavily to anti-gay groups. They've made hundreds of donations to organizations like Focus on the Family, Family Life, and the Family Research Council.

Exodus International: $1,000. Exodus International promotes psychologically-damaging “Ex-Gay” reparative therapy. It is is a major promoter of the practice of trying to change a person’s sexual orientation from gay to straight through counseling. They refer to being LGBT as “perverse” and a form of “sexual brokenness.”

Family Research Council: $1,000. FRC is designated as an anti-gay hate group By the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for its propagation of known falsehoods about the LGBT community. For example, president Tony Perkins has a long history of false and inflammatory attacks, such as claiming that pedophilia is a "homosexual problem."

Georgia Family Council: $2,500. The Georgia Family Council’s website contains posts arguing in favor of California's Proposition 8 and criticizing Apple for removing from its "App Store" an application that promotes the argument that marriage equality is a threat to children and traditional marriage.

So, as you can see…It's not like Chick-Fil-A's opponents are making this stuff up. As a company, Chick-Fil-A has been making hefty donations to anti-gay groups for a very long time. It's just that Dan Cathy only spoke up about it very recently. And when he was accused of being anti-gay by the Baptist Press, and replied that he was "guilty as charged"? He finally put his mouth where his money is.

I don't blame you for defending Mr. Cathy and Chick-Fil-A. You don't want to bite the hand that feeds you. However, in the same interview where Mr. Cathy owned up to being anti-gay, he also said, "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values…" It may be the one thing he said that I agree with. Because in refusing to patronize Chick-Fil-A, I am fully sharing my values, as well. Values like love of my fellow man, appreciation of fairness, and an intolerance for hatred.

Most importantly, I'm far from the only person around here who feels this way. As such, though I wish you the best of luck with your planned Minnesota franchise, I think you're going to have a tough go of it around here. Minnesota is a VERY welcoming state to the LGBT community. In addition to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area recently superseding San Francisco as being the most gay-friendly urban area in the country in many media surveys, the polls indicate that the anti-gay-marriage amendment on the ballots for November is headed for a round defeat. In fact, I recently attended the Minneapolis Pride Day parade with some of my LGBT friends, and was please to see that my Congressman (Keith Ellison) my governor (Mark Dayton) and both my senators (Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar) personally marched in it, and greeted supporters enthusiastically.

So, as I said...Best of luck.

Jim
I respect your thoughts and want to respond to your statements about Chick-fil-A’s corporate giving. The intent of the WinShape Foundation and corporate giving has been to support youth, family and educational programs. Chick-fil-A’s focus includes camping programs for more than 13,000 girls and boys annually and 14 foster homes caring for more than 100 children. Chick-fil-A has also awarded more than $30 million in college scholarships to our team members and millions of additional dollars in scholarships to colleges and universities, including almost $3.3 million in endowed scholarships to universities affiliated with our college football games. When it comes to giving Chick-fil-A is generous and encourages franchises to be generous in their local communities. My team and I support our community by donating to a variety of organizations such as schools, hospitals, police and firefighters, faith-based communities and even GLBTQ organizations. We get requests daily and rarely do we say “no.”

I am aware Minnesota is welcoming to the LGBT community. My experience has been that Minnesota is a welcoming state, period. I live in Atlanta and as far as gay-friendly urban areas go we are right up there with Minneapolis/St. Paul and San Francisco. I have also attended a few of the Atlanta Pride Parades. Atlanta has over 100 Chick-fil-A restaurants in the metro area and they do okay. Why is that? I am not sure other than as I talk to my gay friends and customers they seem to look pass the headlines to who they know Chick-fil-A to be.
Our mission is simple: to serve great food, provide genuine hospitality and have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A. The Chick-fil-A culture and the service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect –regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.
Jim, it would be great to have this conversation in person. Who knows maybe one day we will. I appreciate your passion for the GLBTQ cause. Many associated with Chick-fil-A have that same passion. I trust we will all learn from this experience and be better for it. I have to sign-off now I’m headed to Minnesota for the weekend to see my daughter. Hope the weather is cool. I wish you the best. Take care.

That may very well be the case. However, based on the sources that I'm able to see, one of the ways the WinShape Foundation supports youth, family, and educational programs" is by donating money to acknowledged hate groups that hide behind religious façades in order to promote discriminatory agendas. And, I'm sorry...But as long as even a penny of Chick-Fil-A's corporate money goes toward groups that actively work to have people I love and care about designated as second-class citizens...People whose very civil rights are assumed to be open to debate...I will not be contributing to their coffers. I absolutely refuse to financially support the oppression of fellow human beings.

OMG - Chill everyone!!!! So what if they think marriage should be between a man & a woman - so do I and many others. But that does not mean I don't love & care about someone who is gay. That does not mean that I would tell them what they can or can't do as far a getting married. Just because I disagree about this marriage issue - it does not make me a hater of gays at all. Please stop this silly childish behavior. We don't all have to agree on everything. I want to welcome Chick-fil-A here to the Twin Cities with open arms. I've heard they are fabulous & I can't wait to eat there. I will give them so much business that I will probably put on a few pounds : ) Come on all you gays, we love you & care about you - even tho we differ in our views, so what - let's join hands & be grateful for life. If you get married & I don't agree that you should, don't let it worry you, do it anyway, I'm not your boss & I'll still care about you. You may not agree with some of the things I do, but if you like me for other reasons, you'll overlook those things. Let's drop all this foolishness of trying to destroy someones business & life just because they disagree with you. Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now. Sound familiar? Lets do it!!!

"If you get married & I don't agree that you should, don't let it worry you."

This goes deeper than a simple social disagreement. WAY deeper. It's about civil rights. It's about a corporation using its money to actively promote hatred. It's about advancing the notion that LGBT people are somehow "less than," and that they don't deserve the same rights as other people.

How would YOU feel if a group you didn't agree with got together and decided what YOUR rights ought to be, or not be? Should gay people have the right to vote on whether or not YOUR marriage ought to be legal or even legitimate? It's very easy to say, "Pffft! So what if I think you're a second-class citizen! Get over it!" when you don't belong to the group whose civil rights are being called into question.

Someday we'll look back on this period in history with just as much shame as we now do the eras when women could not vote or own land, and black people were considered 3/5ths of a person for their owners' tax purposes. History ALWAYS comes down on the side of equality, and denying equal rights to any group is always, always wrong.

"and denying equal rights to any group is always, always wrong." So your statement says it all. How about Dan Cathy's right to his beliefs? And Chick-Fil-A's rights to open a store in Maple Grove? Or are you a hypocrite?

You have the right to you own opinion. And so does Mr. Cathy,

In all honesty I think this debate just shows the true intollerance of both sides. If someone doesn't agree with the other then they must be hateful and anti-this and anti-that. I don't think the government should be involved in marriage at all. That said, they certainly DON'T have the constituional right to ban a company based on it's views.

I, as well as my family & friends will difinatley be supporting Chick- fil- A when it comes to Maple Grove. I can't wait for it to open. This will be a wonderful addition to everything else that is great about this area & I'm very sure that this business will attract even more shoppers. Thank you City Counsel for your excellent choice in approving this Restaurant.
P.S. I wish you could lure Cracker Barrel Restaurant/Gift Shop to build in Maple Grove shopping area also. That would be great!!!

I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’.
Dan Cathy Chick-fil-A COO
In-case you missed it, above is Dan Cathy's statement.

Where is Dan Cathy's statement? It did not show up - above, that I can see. I would like to read it & so should everyone, so they can stop misquoting him. I agree with Mark Pruhs & we do not hate gay people just because we believe in traditional marriage. Please stop claiming hate for different belief in values. God loves us all - it's up to each one of us what we choose in our life & then let Him be the One we answer to.

Hi Gyne, Dan Cathy's statement is right where I said it was, it was easy to miss because it wasn't the hateful statement some uninformed* people have claimed it is.
This is it, all 30 words; 'I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’.'
That is the 30 word statement Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A COO made 3 weeks ago while attending a meeting with ministers and others at a Colonial Baptist Church in North Carolina.
*Uninformed: Many people are uninformed about Cathy's statement because the press has not included it when reporting about it. Almost like the press was intentionally misleading people.

Thank you Mark P. and Thank you Nancy C. for your valuable information on Dan Cathy's "actual" words. I listened very close to every word he said in this interview and I am just blown away at the way people have twisted his words & intent to be something it is not. He did not ever say one word about hate or intolerance towards gays. He only stated his views on what he thinks God's values are on marriage but never once even mentioned the word gay or homosexual. He was talking about family & fatherhood. For these people to actually spread lies around the Country of what Mr. Cathy's words were, to me is slander & defamation of character. Shame on these trouble makers to drum up hatred among people in America to create more & more division that is unnecessary. Dan Cathy is not a hateful person nor is he intolerant. He said nothing wrong!!!! The people that are spreading lies about Mr. Cathy's statement are the intolerant & hateful ones. They are trying to destroy the reputation & business of a good man. In my opinion, this is abusive behavior & bullying. Why are there so many people who are willing to jump on the "bully" bandwagon? Honestly, if this has opened anyone's eyes to the truth of this situation, please be humble enough to stand firm against this bullying behavior of destroying someone because of false accusations & disagreeing with them. All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing!

The fact is, hiding behind the "coded" language of hate in order to provide yourself a supposed "out" from saying what you obviously feel is weak, cowardly, manipulative, and intellectually-dishonest. if you want to know how people really feel, especially Conservatives, all you need to do is follow the money. And Dan Cathy has consistently given money to organizations that actively work to oppress gay people. Period. That's all the proof you should need.

Furthermore, that was NOT Dan Cathy's entire statement. When asked if he was against gay marriage, Dan Cathy replied "Guilty as Charged."

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-chick-fil-a-gay-20120718,0,3020372.story

People are entitled to their own opinions. But people are NOT entitled to their own FACTS.

I'm going to Respectful Conversations. I hope others will too.

Luther Seminary and Minnesota Council of Churches invite the community to attend an August 14 conversation that will focus not on changing minds, but on softening hearts while discussing a divisive issue in Minnesota.
Conversations about significant issues can sometimes be emotional, pick-a-side and fight-it-out discussions that leave us feeling worse about the people we disagree with, and sometimes worse about ourselves. Isn’t there another way to talk?
Congregations across the state have chosen to be a source of living water, cooling the heat of divisive conversations through the Respectful Conversations Project. Join us to learn and practice how we can discuss significant issues without disliking each other more, but instead by understanding each other.

A Respectful Conversation on the Marriage Amendment
Tuesday, August 14, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Hosted by Luther Seminary
2481 Como Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55108
Pre-registration required online at : www.mnchurches.org,
Or by phone to the Seminary at (651) 641-3232

The Respectful Conversations Project is a program of the Minnesota Council of Churches with support from the Bush Foundation designed to strengthen civic life. Congregations throughout Minnesota will be hosting conversations that explore issues through the lens of deeply held convictions while maintaining, even enhancing, relationships among those who disagree.

This is the complete interview that Dan Cathy stated "guilty as charged" - which he was NOT being hateful at all when he made that comment. Please read it from start to finish so you can understand that this is a good man who simply believes he (as well as every person who is an American Citizen) freely has the right to believe as they wish & has the right to free speech. Those who JUDGE him for following his standards, are trying to deny him of his free rights in our Country of America. So many people are mad & stir up trouble & hate against anyone who does not think & believe exactly the same as they do. That is so wrong of anyone to do and it is causing division among people. If you are one of these "controlling" people who is trying to "make" us all think "just like you" - then you are out of line & need to stop it & let each one of us be who we are as individuals. Thank You!!!!!

Sorry - I got so carried away with my comment above here that I forgot to post the interview of Dan Cathy. Here it is:

Sorry - I forgot to put Dan Cathy's interview on my comment above. Here it is:
CARY, N.C. (BP) -- Dan Cathy oversees one of the country's most successful businesses. As president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, Cathy leads a business with 1,608 restaurants that had sales of more than $4 billion dollars last year. They sell chicken and train employees to focus on values rooted in the Bible.

His father, S. Truett Cathy started the business in 1946, when he and his brother, Ben, opened an Atlanta diner known as The Dwarf Grill (later renamed The Dwarf House). In 1967, his father opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta. Today, Chick-fil-A is the second largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States based on annual system-wide sales.

Dan Cathy's success has not erased the biblical values he learned as a child in a Baptist church. He is a warm, common man who is deeply committed to being a faithful Christian witness. And he is fully involved in New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga. He drives Chick-fil-A's efforts to provide genuine hospitality, ensuring that customers have an exceptional dining experience in a Chick-fil-A restaurant. Based on Matthew 5:41, Cathy is on a mission to provide customers with "second-mile" service -- exceeding even the highest expectations of a typical fast-food restaurant. (continued on next comment post below)

"We don't claim to be a Christian business," Cathy told the Biblical Recorder in a recent visit to North Carolina. He attended a business leadership conference many years ago where he heard Christian businessman Fred Roach say, "There is no such thing as a Christian business."

"That got my attention," Cathy said. Roach went on to say, "Christ never died for a corporation. He died for you and me."

"In that spirit ... [Christianity] is about a personal relationship. Companies are not lost or saved, but certainly individuals are," Cathy added.

"But as an organization we can operate on biblical principles. So that is what we claim to be. [We are] based on biblical principles, asking God and pleading with God to give us wisdom on decisions we make about people and the programs and partnerships we have. And He has blessed us."

Rather than leading from his corporate office in Atlanta, Cathy chooses to spend the majority of his time traveling to the chain's growing family of restaurants and interacting with Chick-fil-A's committed team members. His actions stem from a belief that working in the field provides a clearer understanding of the needs of Chick-fil-A customers. Leading from the front line also enables him personally to convey his servant spirit to the chain's 61,000-plus employees.

(continued below)

Cathy believes strongly that Christians are missionaries in the workplace. "Jesus had a lot of things to say about people who work and live in the business community," he said. His goal in the workplace is "to take biblical truth and put skin on it. ... We're talking about how our performance in the workplace should be the focus of how we build respect, rapport and relationships with others that opens the gateway to interest people in knowing God.

"All throughout the New Testament there is an evangelism strategy related to our performance in the workplace. ... Our work should be an act of worship. Our work should be our mission field. As long as we are stateside, let's don't think we have to go on mission trips by getting a passport. ... If you're obedient to God you are going to be evangelistic in the quality of the work you do, using that as a portal to share [Christ]," he said.

When asked if Chick-fil-A's success is attributed to biblical values, Cathy quickly said, "I think they're inseparable. God wants to give us wisdom to make good decisions and choices." Quoting James 1:5, he spoke of how often he asks God for wisdom.

"Frequently Jesus challenged us to just ask ... we're simply not asking as often as we should. We need to be more faithful to depend on a God who does love us and wants to have a relationship with us, and wants to give us the desires of our hearts." (continued below)

There is another success story attributed to Cathy's organization. They have a positive influence in the world of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) football.

There was a time when the Atlanta college football bowl game, which is now named after Chick-fil-A, was called the Peach Bowl. The annual bowl features teams from the ACC and the SEC. It struggled for a long time. Then 15 years ago the Chick-fil-A organization got involved. It was rebranded as the Chick-fil-A Bowl and has been incredibly successful with 15 consecutive sellouts.

"We are the only bowl that has an invocation. It's in our agreement that if Chick-fil-A is associated in this, there's going to be an invocation. Also, we don't have our bowl on Sunday, either," Cathy said.

In 2008 Chick-fil-A began sponsoring a Chick-fil-A Kickoff game matching two of the nation's top teams and hosted on the first weekend of the season in the same stadium (Georgia Dome) as the Chick-fil-A Bowl. This year Chick-fil-A will host two kickoff games, one on Friday and one on Saturday.

"That's never been done before," he said.

The pair of Chick-fil-A Kickoff games is expected to generate more than $60 million in economic impact. The bowl website describes the event as "a college football celebration of epic proportions." (Continued below)

When questioned about Chick-Fil-A's "Closed on Sunday" policy Cathy responded, "It was not an issue in 1946 when we opened up our first restaurant. But as living standards changed and lifestyles changed, people came to be more active on Sundays."

The policy has not changed over the years as malls began changing their policies by opening on Sundays.

"We've always put in our lease that we will be closed on Sundays," Cathy said. "We've had a track record that we were generating more business in six days than the other tenants were generating in seven [days]."

"While developers had no identity whatsoever with our corporate purpose to 'glorify God and be a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and have a positive influence on all that come in contact with Chick-fil-A,' they did identify with the rent checks that we wrote to the mall, that were based on our sales.

"So, they would make an exception for Chick-fil-A when they wouldn't make an exception for anybody else, simply because they knew we would pay them more in rent than any other tenant would that was open even seven days a week."

The company invests in Christian growth and ministry through its WinShape Foundation (WinShape.com). The name comes from the idea of shaping people to be winners.

It began as a college scholarship and expanded to a foster care program, an international ministry, and a conference and retreat center modeled after the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove.

"That morphed into a marriage program in conjunction with national marriage ministries," Cathy added.

Some have opposed the company's support of the traditional family. "Well, guilty as charged," said Cathy when asked about the company's position.

"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.

"We operate as a family business ... our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that," Cathy emphasized.

"We intend to stay the course," he said. "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles." That is it and thank you for bearing with me to post this whole interview.

As a born and raised Georgia girl who lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, I couldn't be more excited for this!! I'm a Chik-fil-a fan through and through and will definitely be a loyal customer at this location!

I can't wait til Chick-fil-A opens this spring. I'm so excited & will be among their number one fans & continual customers. Yummmmm!!!!!! :-) I wish them the best & ask God to Bless them & their business.

Dan and Me: My Coming Out as a Friend of Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A

An article by Shane L. Windmeyer.Nationally recognized LGBT leader in higher education; bestselling author; executive director, Campus Pride

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-l-windmeyer/dan-cathy-chick-fil-a_b_2564379.html