My family loves to eat at our local Chick-fil-A restaurant.
The food is tasty.
The service is always exceptional.
The restaurant stays clean and the tables are adorned with fresh flowers.
Furthermore, one of my good friends is the local owner.
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Former Governor Mike Huckabee rallied his fans on Facebook to make August 1 Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.
I don’t need to go further into that part of the story because you already know it.
It is fair to assume though that my friend has realized record in-store revenue for a Wednesday in the middle of the summer.
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As my family prepared to drop off our minivan for service here on August 1, we needed a place for dinner.
With all the publicity, Chick-fil-A was clearly on the kids’ brains.
All the Chick-fil-A photos on Facebook confirmed the response nationwide.
(Photo herein courtesy of LA Times)
My youngest two may not have understood all the hype, but they still proclaimed…
Dad, everyone is going to Chick-fil-A!
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The choice was mine.
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So, we went down the road to a local diner.
The place was nearly empty.
The waiter provided a warm welcome.
Based on his attire and mannerisms, it is fair to assume he was gay.
With my family of five at the restaurant table, the moment was both ironic and beautiful.
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I led my family in prayer and we had an enjoyable meal.
The service throughout the dinner was friendly and professional.
When the check arrived, I notice we were overcharged.
When our good waiter returned, I kindly explained the situation and he apologized openly and explained what happened.
He quickly corrected the tab, and we wrapped up our meal at the quiet diner.
I shared my thanks with the kind waiter, and left a 20% tip.
He deserved it.
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As I further reflect on the Chick-fil-A frenzy, I can only think about this waiter.
Of course he knew what was going on in our country and down the street.
It never showed.
He had a job to do tonight and he did it with professionalism and love.
So did I as a father and Christian.
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That’s why we ate at the diner down the road on Chick-fil-A Day.
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“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
(John 13: 34-35)
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What are your thoughts? Where did you decide to eat on Chick-fil-A Day?
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Brent,
I am so glad I paused to read your post. It made me cry, and thank you so much for showing me that there are people out there who not only accept Christ, but live like Christ. This was a huge inspiration to me. Plus, my favorite scripture. Blessings, Julie (@juliawb)
Thank you Julie for dropping by. I am blessed by your kind feedback. Cheers to you.
I’m not sure how I ended up on your site…but I love this post. It really touched my heart. Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure. Thank you for dropping by and for the kind feedback.
Thanks Brent. I am fully supportive of anyone being able to practice their religion and I won’t “boycott” (long term) over anyone’s belief, but I also don’t see the point in glorifying outright intolerance. My opinion? ChickFilA can say and believe whatever they want, but it would be better for business and their image if they just focused on making good chicken and kept their personal views out of the workplace/ media. Just like the rest of us have to do. After all I’m sure plenty of gays and their supporters work there and obviously don’t share the founders views- but they wisely keep quiet. Their boss should follow their lead.
Thank you Dawn for sharing. In response to your comments, here’s an interesting article that compares the CEOs of Chick Fil A and Marriott… http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-07-26/god-and-gay-marriage-what-chick-fil-a-could-learn-from-marriott
I to attempted to eat at Chic-Fil-A on August 1st. It was a normal workday for me. I knew my church was bringing a church bus full of supporters to our local Chic-Fil-A and i hoped to see them there. It warmed my heart to see that i could not get within a block of the restaurant. Supporters were backed down the highway. I instead ate next door at Captain D’s. The Cathys have been walking in the will of God for a long time and practicing thier right to free speach and spreading the gospel. Walking in the will as they do will always result in Gods favor. I will keep supporting them every chance I get.
Thank you Dennis for sharing. My family will be back at our local Chick Fil A too for the reasons I outlined. I’m just thankful for the experience last night that led me away from the crowd.
Excellent post Brent. Thanks for keeping it real and in my opinion, right. Love one another. Says it all.
Thank you brother Kyle.
Love one another. Simple. Concise. Well put, Brent.
Thank you Kim.
This is great. I almost didn’t read it all the way through because I didn’t like where it was going. Glad I finished it.
Thank you Kelley for finishing
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I never had read the original statement by Dan Cathy – it is even hard to find with Google search. But here is the link: http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38271
You have to read quite a bit to find the statement about marriage – near the end – and there is no reference to gay marriage.
Boyd