Chick-Fil-A Greeted With Skepticism In St. Louis Park

Not everyone in the St. Louis Park community is pleased that Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A is planning to redevelop the property in the city at Highway 7 and Texas Avenue South.

Some are concerned that the company may not treat people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender equally. The concerns stem from a 2012 statement by Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy, who publicly opposed same-sex marriage.

The remark lead to boycotts, as well as public support shown for the restaurant. In August 2012, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann filmed a video where she talked about her support for Chick-Fil-A's owners "who stand with the family."

As Patch previously reported, the planned St. Louis Park location would be Chick-fil-A’s 13th or 14th in Minnesota. The company is currently planning a new location in Eagan as well.

The old TCF Bank branch located at the Shoppes at Knollwood is expected to be torn down make way for St. Louis Park's first Chick-fil-A.

A Facebook group called Allies of St. Louis Park, which aims to support minorities, has asked the restaurant to consider installing gender-neutral bathrooms at the new location.

“We just want to make sure that Chick-fil-A was put on notice that we will be monitoring their activities,” Zaylore Stout, a labor and employment law attorney, recently told the Star Tribune:

St. Louis Park Mayor Jake Spano said the council wouldn’t deny a proposal on the basis of the beliefs of a company’s owners. But he commended residents for raising their concerns.

“People vote with their feet,” Spano said. “If they don’t support that organization, they don’t have to shop there.”

Most planning commission members agreed with the comments made by the Allies group at the hearing.

Read much more at the Star Tribune.

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