Chick-fil-A plans Hawaii debut

A national fast-food chain largely known for a simple yet highly adored fried-chicken sandwich and commercials featuring cows plans its first Hawaii restaurant on Oahu.

“It’s official — Chick-fil-A is coming to Hawaii!” the company announced on its website Thursday with little fanfare or additional publicity.

Company spokeswoman Jackie Jags said a location and opening timetable for the Oahu restaurant are still undetermined.

Jags said the restaurant, which is projected to employ about 80 people, will be owned and operated by a local franchisee. Additional locations could follow, but Jags said the company doesn’t have a projected number of restaurants for Hawaii or whether expansion could include neighbor islands.

“We will be committed to an investment in the state of Hawaii,” she said.

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A has legions of loyal customers who will go out of their way to visit locations for items that include breaded-to-order chicken sandwiches, waffle fries and fresh-squeezed lemonade.

The chain, however, also has detractors who object to religion-based activities of the family that owns the company, including past initiatives to help finance campaigns against same-sex marriage laws.

Chick-fil-A describes itself as the largest chicken restaurant chain in the United States based on only domestic sales, which excludes revenue from U.S.-based chains with international sales.

The company, which has about 2,300 restaurants in 47 states and Washington, D.C., said it generated about $9 billion in revenue last year.

Part of the attraction is Chick-fil-A’s sandwich made with whole breast meat containing no fillers or artificial preservatives. It gets breaded, pressure-cooked in refined peanut oil and served with pickles on a buttered bun. Other things on the menu include chicken soup, chicken salads and a chicken, egg and cheese bagel.

Serge Fort, an Ewa resident who moved to Hawaii about two years ago from Florida, proclaims that he will be Chick-fil-A’s first “and frequent” customer when the Oahu restaurant opens.

“I would rate the food served there as the best in the fast-food industry,” he said in an email. “Every single item was made to order, versus just being pulled off the shelf. Definitely looking forward to visiting the local store.”

Chick-fil-A also has built its brand using clever and humorous commercials featuring cows that try to tell people to eat chicken and not beef using signs that employ poor spelling.

On the serious side, some consumers have been put off by religious connections of the company and its ownership family.

The chain is closed for business on Sundays, a practice established by founder S. Truett Cathy, who established Chick-fil-A in 1967 and died in 2014.

“Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose — a practice we uphold today,” the company said.

Truett, through a family foundation called WinShape, also promoted traditional marriage and gave millions of dollars to other organizations that fought same-sex marriage initiatives, according to a 2014 New York Times story about the Chick-fil-A founder. Truett’s son and company CEO Dan Truett also publicly condemned gay marriage in 2012.

The New York Times story noted that same-sex marriage supporters initiated Chick-fil-A boycotts and tried to stop franchises from opening new stores, while proponents of traditional marriage flocked to support the chain.

Since then the company and its leaders have backed away from such positions and financial support on the issue as the chain has expanded further from its Southern roots.

Under Truett family leadership, annual revenue at Chick-fil-A has increased for 50 consecutive years, the company said. New markets have been key to the continued growth, with major cities in recent years playing a part. For instance, Chick-fil-A opened its first store in New York City in 2015.

Now Honolulu is next in line to contribute to the chain’s growth.

“We are honored to join the Aloha State and look forward to serving new and existing fans delicious food with remarkable hospitality,” the company said in its announcement.