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Business & Tech

Record Sales at Arnold Chick-Fil-A Wednesday

Wednesday fans of Chick-fil-A flocked to their favorite chicken joint to show their support for the restaurant.

announced in a press release that it saw record sales on “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.”

“While we don’t release exact sales numbers, it was an unprecedented day,” said Steve Robinson, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Chick-fil-A, Inc. The chain has 1600 locations, including one in Arnold.

Fans of the Arnold Chick-fil-A posted messages on Facebook showing their support for the restaurant, against gay marriage, or simply in support for their Christian values.

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A representative of the chain posted a thank you to its fans and also stated, "The Chick-fil-A culture and 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."

The Arnold location also saw a large crowd of diners.

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Yes, we had record sales here at Arnold and served around 4,000 guests!! Chick-fil-A as a whole served over 4 million guests yesterday! You all are awesome! ~Arnold Chick-fil-A, from Facebook.

The support day was not a promotion sponsored by the restaurant. It was started by Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and picked up by other conservative groups. Fox 2 News reports that Huckabee called on people to buy food at the chain on Wednesday after a backlash against the company and its president.

The controversy started after Dan Cathy, the Chick-fil-A president and chief operating officer, did a July 16 interview with the Baptist Press stating that he favored “traditional” marriage.

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

According to the New York Times, the statement might have gone unnoticed.

So Mr. Cathy’s statements might have passed without much notice except that Carly McGehee, a New Yorker, decided to stage a same-sex kiss-in on Aug. 3, urging gays and lesbians to show up at the company’s 1,600 restaurants around the country in protest.

The N.Y. Times stated that Chick-fil-A has never hidden the religious leanings of its owners. The restaurant is closed on Sunday and donates money to groups that are pro-family and anti-gay marriage.

The owner’s statement for “traditional” marriage incited mayors in Boston and Chicago to denounce the restaurant and to stay out of their towns.

Patch will continue to follow this story and see if protestors are equally willing to voice their opinions during the August 3 "same-sex kiss-in."

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