Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy has spoken about his company’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights — and a lot was left unsaid.
Business has been booming for Chick-fil-A. The Georgia-based company reportedly made nearly $24 billion in sales last year and ranks No. 3 on USA TODAY’s 2026 list of the best fast-food restaurants. Chick-fil-A’s mouth-watering chicken sandwiches and friendly workers make customers want to come back for more, but it still can’t escape an unpleasant part of its past.
In a new interview, Cathy didn’t take a hard stance against the LGBTQ+ community as his father, Dan Cathy, did when he was leading the fast food chain. The elder Cathy caused a public uproar in 2012 when he spoke out against gay marriage. Chick-fil-A was also shown to have made donations to organizations viewed as anti-LGBTQ+, leaving a bad taste in customers’ mouths.
“There were folks who were protesting; they were boycotting Chick-fil-A. They’d say, ‘Oh, Chick-fil-A, they don’t stand with the LGBTQ+ community.’ What would you say to those folks?” Today show co-host Craig Melvin asked Andrew Cathy Wednesday.
“Well, for anybody who hadn’t tried us, we’d love for you to come try and have our great-tasting food and the hospitality that we are known for,” Cathy said. “I think that everybody that would be willing to walk in the door, they’ll see that they’re welcome to come eat with us.”
While Cathy promised a welcoming atmosphere for anyone who comes into one of his restaurants, he stopped short of directly commenting on LGBTQ+ rights.
“You don’t want to talk about that chapter in Chick-fil-A’s history,” Melvin probed.
But Cathy just reiterated: “We’re focused on serving everybody that comes in and eats with us.”
In March 2019, it was revealed that the Chick-fil-A Foundation donated more than $1.8 million to organizations that have reportedly taken a public stance against gay marriage.
The foundation gave more than $1.6 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and $150,000 to the Salvation Army, progressive news site Think Progress reported at the time, citing tax filings. The Salvation Army says it embraces people regardless of sexual orientation or other identities, and that it is committed to serving the LGBTQ community.
Months later, Chick-fil-A announced it would no longer fund the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army, and would instead “deepen its giving to a smaller number of organizations working exclusively in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger”.
Cathy’s grandfather, S. Truett Cathy, opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta in 1967. The family’s Christian faith has always guided the business. Since the start, Chick-fil-A has been closed on Sundays for workers to go to church or just have a day to rest.
“It’s our anchor in the sense of what our corporate purpose states: that we’re in business to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that’s entrusted to us, and have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A,” Cathy told Melvin.
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