Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has endured criticism for a tweet he sent out Saturday which showed his purchase at a Chick-fil-A in Los Angeles. That criticism has centered around Dorsey promoting the Atlanta-based fast food company during LGBT Pride month and the views previously expressed by Chick-fil-A's owner regarding gay marriage.
Dorsey tweeted a screenshot of a purchase he made Saturday evening, and the Twitter co-founder received a multitude of negative replies, criticizing Dorsey for both eating at the restaurant and for promoting the business. Soledad O’Brien, the host of the politcal talk show “Matter of Fact,” retweeted Dorsey’s tweet.
“This is an interesting company to boost during Pride month,” O’Brien wrote.
Chick-fil-A's CEO, Dan Cathy, said in 2012 Chick-fil-A believed marriage to be between a man and a woman, citing the family's Christian beliefs. Cathy's comments set off a boycott by individuals angered by his comments and a stream of support from those who backed Cathy and Chick-fil-A.
Chick-fil-A did not respond Monday to a request by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for comment.
Other Twitter users came to the defense of Dorsey and Chick-fil-A, saying there was nothing wrong with eating at the fast food restaurant.
On Monday, customers at the Chick-fil-A on Ashford Dunwoody Road in Atlanta were asked about the situation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Most were not aware of Dorsey’s tweet, but they said they saw a difference between the views of Chick-fil-A’s CEO and the popular fast food chain.
“We’ve known that Chick-fil-A people don’t support gay people or whatever, and I mean, that’s your choice,” patron Christy Lewis said. “If I want to come here and eat, then I’m going to come and eat.”
“If it’s quality food, quality service, that’ll trump the beliefs of an individual in my mind,” Chick-fil-A customer Kevin Harris said.
Dorsey appeared to express regret for the decision Sunday, responding to a reply to his original tweet, saying he “completely forgot about [Chick-fil-A’s] background.”
Chick-fil-A, which has 2,100 total locations, made nearly $8 billion in total revenue in 2016. The company averaged $4.4 million of revenue per location in 2016, the highest average sales per unit of an American fast food restaurant, according to QSR Magazine.
