Marriage between Las Vegas, Chick-fil-A has potential

Dear Chick-fil-A,

It has been six months since your CEO, Dan Cathy, acknowledged he made a mistake by taking a public stand against same-sex marriage.

Now, with the recent passing of your founder, devout Baptist S. Truett Cathy, this would be an ideal time to prove that you embrace patrons regardless of their sexual orientation, spirituality or political beliefs.

Here’s how: Open a restaurant in Las Vegas.

You have never done so, though many of our 2 million residents have a taste for chicken sandwiches and waffle fries. You’ve stayed away even though many of your competitors have prospered here.

Seems odd. There are Chik-fil-A’s in Enid, Okla. (pop. 48,854), Brookings, S.D. (pop. 22,591) and Paducah, Ky. (pop. 25,048). But not in Las Vegas?

This has led to speculation that your conservative corporate values have colored your opinion of the city. Some Las Vegans think you don’t like us because we make our living off of gambling and partying, and because we do things like go to drag shows and stage a Pride parade and vote for Democrats for president and the Senate.

Seriously, what gives? You’re perfectly happy to operate in other cities where people gamble — Kansas City, Mo.; St. Louis; and Biloxi, Miss. — so why not Las Vegas, unless it has something to do with our political leanings or our inclusive attitude toward same-sex couples?

We’ll apparently have to keep wondering. When I contacted your media relations office, I got a note back saying Chik-fil-A was considering expanding into Nevada. But when I pressed for details about any plans involving Las Vegas and asked if I could say the company refuted speculation that it had black-listed the city, I got a non-response.

“Unfortunately, all I can confirm as of today is that Chick-fil-A is looking at expansion into Nevada,” a spokeswoman said in an email.

So all we can do is continue to speculate. You say you’ve learned from 2012, when Dan Cathy said marriage should be between a man and woman, prompting protests from some and support rallies from others. Cathy said in March that he realized the flap alienated some customers.

“I think that’s a political debate that’s going to rage on,” he said. “And the wiser thing for us to do is to stay focused on customer service.”

So prove it. Come to Las Vegas. Our community — and yes, it is a community, not just a place where visitors run around doing naughty things — would welcome you.

Not that we can’t live without you. But you’ll make money here. Maybe you also could make some believers out of people who think you haven’t changed your philosophy one bit since 2012 and never will.

Tags: The Sunday
Business

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