Burger King is trying to have the upper hand in the chicken sandwich wars by alluding to the fraught history of its rival Chick-fil-A with the LGBTQ+ community.
Soon after launching its newest chicken sandwich Ch’King last week, Burger King tweeted that it would donate 40 cents for every chicken sandwich sold in June up to $250,000, or 625,000 sandwiches, to The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization in the U.S., in celebration of Pride Month.
The tweet is a not-so-subtle dig at Chick-fil-A, as Burger King noted that the donations would be made “even on Sundays.” As fast food lovers know, Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays because of the company’s devout Christian ownership.
*6/3-6/30 with every Ch'King sold, BK will contribute 40₵ to the Human Rights Campaign (Max. donation $250k)
— Burger King (@BurgerKing) June 4, 2021
Chick-fil-A has also faced backlash several times for supporting anti-LGBTQ+ causes for years. Former recipients of the chain’s donations include the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which both have taken controversial stands on homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy also notoriously caused outrage among members of the LGBTQ community when he expressed support for “the biblical definition of the family unit” in a 2012 interview.
Since then, Chick-fil-A has tried to recover its image by pledging not to “have a political or social agenda” and by distancing itself from Cathy’s remarks. However, just last week, The Daily Beast identified Cathy as a donor to the National Christian Charitable Foundation, which has a history of funding opposition to The Equality Act. As expected, this revelation has prompted renewed calls over social media to boycott Chick-fil-A.
Burger King didn’t mention Chick-fil-A’s name in the tweet. But in a separate statement, Burger King said: “[The LGBTQ+ community is a] community we love dearly and have proudly supported over the years, so we couldn’t miss an opportunity to take action and help shine a light on the important conversation happening.”
First announced last February, Burger King’s Ch’King features a breaded chicken fillet on a potato bun and served with pickles and a signature sauce. It is available in both standard and deluxe sizes, and customers can also opt for a version with a “spicy glaze.”