Bloomfield Councilman: Chick-fil-A Not Wanted On Parkway

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — An openly gay member of the Bloomfield Town Council is blasting plans to bring a Chick-fil-A restaurant to the Brookdale South rest stop on the Garden State Parkway.

Last week, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority announced that the McDonald's restaurants at the Vauxhall and Brookdale South service areas have closed. This spring, the main buildings are scheduled to be demolished. There will be no food available at either location while new facilities are being built.

The Brookdale South rest stop is located in Bloomfield. Read More: 2 McDonald's Close On GS Parkway; Here's What Will Replace Them

When construction is complete in 2023, the Brookdale service area will have several new places to eat, officials said, including Burger King, Starbucks, a convenience store and a Chick-fil-A. But it’s the latter that has caught the ire of Bloomfield Councilman Rich Rockwell.

On Monday, Rockwell released a statement criticizing the plan to bring a Chick-fil-A to the rest stop. He wrote:

“Throughout its existence, Chick-fil-A has used its vast financial success to influence and support policies that are discriminatory to the LGBTQ community. Chick-fil-A imposes its religion on employees, customers and operators and as a publicly funded entity, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority should not allow this type of business on the Parkway. This restaurant chain would be an affront to all of the citizens of Bloomfield that make up the tremendous diversity that makes our town such a great place to live.”

Rockwell got support from Mayor Michael Venezia, who also blasted the proposal.

“This announcement by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to allow Chick-fil-A to open a restaurant at a Bloomfield rest stop is incredibly disappointing,” Venezia said. “Bloomfield is a diverse community accepting of all races, religions and sexual orientations, which is the antithesis of what this chain stands for.”

“Chick-fil-A has a long, documented history of opposing same sex marriage and supporting anti-LGBTQ legislators and organizations,” Venezia said. “I implore the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to reconsider this decision and to instead choose a restaurant that is more in line with our values.”

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