Chick-fil-A

now a major fast food presence nationwide and has made a big push into the Coachella Valley since the area’s first location opened in Palm Desert in the summer of 2022. Prior to that, the closest location to the Coachella Valley was in Yucaipa.

The company has since received approval for new locations in Palm Desert and north Indio, but the proposed Palm Springs location would be its first in the west Coachella Valley.

If it ultimately moves forward, the new location would position the intersection of Gene Autry and Ramon as a focal point of fried chicken competition. The area is already home to an outpost of the popular Raising Cane’s chicken finger chain south of Ramon Road, which has done brisk business since it opened in 2022.

Proposal draws controversy

The proposal, however, is meeting resistance from many residents who have taken to social media to voice their displeasure about the plans, with some calling on the city not to allow Chickfil-A to open and many declaring they would not patronize the business.

Much of that backlash relates to the company’s status as a culture war lightning rod stemming from 2012 comments made by the company’s famously religious CEO Dan Cathy, the son of its founder, voicing opposition to gay marriage.

The company also received similar criticism for years for donating money to organizations that have opposed gay marriage and other LGBTQ rights.

However, USA Today and other outlets reported that the company stopped donating to some, but not all, of those groups in 2012 and ended donations to the last three, The Salvation Army, The Fellowship for Christian Athletes and an Atlanta youth home, in 2019.

The controversy around Cathy’s positions and the donations have sometimes created obstacles to new locations for the company. In England, a shopping center announced it would not be renewing the company’s lease following backlash against it from LGBTQ rights supporters. And in Buffalo, New York, and San Antonio, Texas, Chick-fil-A was not given the greenlight to open in those cities’ airports because of opposition.

While it will not be up to the Palm Springs city council to consider whether to approve the new location, Palm

Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein took to Facebook to weigh in on the controversy.

Bernstein is gay himself, and most of the council are members of the LGBTQ community.

“I want to be clear that while I may not agree with others’ political views, I do not want to violate anyone’s rights by denying a land use entitlement based on the political beliefs or contributions of the applicant,” Bernstein wrote. “I am a strong advocate for businesses that align with our city’s vision, including economic stewardship, supporting locally owned businesses, supporting a healthy community, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.