SALT LAKE CITY — A private university in New Jersey has removed Chick-fil-A from its list of potential dining options because of the company’s values, according to The Associated Press.
- Rider University said it removed the restaurant "based on the company's record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ community."
- The school released a survey asking students what new restaurant they wanted at their school. Chick-fil-A was removed as an option.
- Chick-fil-A previously was featured in a survey of dining options for the school.
University comment: The university said it understands people may see this move as a “form of exclusion.” But the school said it wants to remain "faithful to our values of inclusion."
- “We sought to be thoughtful and fair in balancing the desire to provide satisfying options for a new on-campus restaurant while also being faithful to our values of inclusion,” the university wrote in a letter to the Rider community.
- "The choices in this situation, like in so many others, were imperfect," administrators wrote in the post. "They challenged us to reflect on our values and consider what kind of community we want to provide for those who live and learn at Rider University."
Chick-fil-A response: The fast food chain said in a statement to NBC News that it will focus on food, service and hospitality. The restaurants welcome everyone.
- “We have no policy of discrimination against any group, and we do not have a political or social agenda," a spokesman for the company said to NBC News. "More than 120,000 people from all different backgrounds and beliefs represent the Chick-fil-A brand.”
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Flashback: Dan T. Cathy, whose father started the company in 1967, told The Baptist Press in 2012 that the fast food chain supported “the biblical definition of the family unit.”
- Chick-fil-A released a statement at the time that said: “Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”