It’s America’s favorite fast food restaurant, and it’s hoping Canada will feel the love. Chick-fil-A is making a run for the border, heading north to Toronto to open its first international location in Canada in early 2019.
The goal is to open 15 restaurants in the Greater Toronto area over the next five years. Just as in the U.S., the locations will be closed on Sundays, a nod to its Christian values.
The company has long come under fire from gay rights activists. CEO Dan Cathy’s comments about the biblical definition of a family and how marriage equality would bring God’s wrath on the U.S. Spurred kiss-ins and boycotts across the country in 2012. Chick-fil-A’s reception in New York remains chilly. But the chicken hawkers aren’t sweating it: They made $9 billion in revenue last year and are on track to become the third-largest fast food chain in America.
It’s technically not the first time Chick-fil-A will be available in Canada: Travelers through the Calgary airport can order from a limited menu. But Torontonians were excited about Chick-fil-A coming to Canada, for various reasons:
Can’t wait for @ChickfilA to open in Toronto. Don’t have to drive to Ohio anymore. Now if I can get some $$ maybe I can open a location in Kitchener Waterloo! That’s some living the dream stuff right there.
— I. D. Cameron (@seymorerage) July 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/goldgunfemale/status/1022145875970207744
We don’t want @ChickfilA in Toronto. Won’t see me there. We like diversity and support gay marriage here. Unlike @dancathy comments in 2012. Let’s not forget what was said —> https://t.co/QPOa0n7yxt#Torontohttps://t.co/4nmEhQpjtZ
— Brandon Zoras (@brandonzoras) July 25, 2018
I can't wait for @ChickfilA to come to #Toronto so that I can actively boycott them. #boycottchickfila
— zjc (@zjanelle) July 26, 2018
Earlier this week the fast food chain announced its first foray into meal kits. Starting Aug. 27, the kits will be available at 150 of the brand’s Atlanta-area locations and are designed to be made in about a half hour, using the same Chick-fil-A chicken used in-house.