Posted on 08/09/2012 9:15:02 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The decision whether to eat at Chick-fil-A has become a hot-button issue since the fast food company’s president opened up about his support for traditional marriage, but one local politician says she’s not making a political statement by welcoming the company with open arms.
Prince George's County Council member Karen R. Toles, a Democrat, said she’s attending the opening of a Chick-fil-A in District Heights on Thursday to celebrate the economic development in her community.
“When you have someone who hires over 100 people from your county alone, that is something to celebrate,” Ms. Toles said.
Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy sparked a national backlash against the company — including boycotts and kiss-ins by gay couples — after an interview last month in which he affirmed the family-owned private company supported “the biblical definition of the family unit.” Afterward, several major metropolitan mayors, including D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray, flocked to decry the fast food chain’s presence in their cities.
Ms. Toles declined to address the controversy or how it factored into her plan to attend the fast-food restaurant’s opening.
“I’m solely looking at the jobs,” she said. “This is a huge economic boost.”
According to the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s most recent data, the county’s unemployment rate was 7.2 percent in June. Ms. Toles said the restaurant owner told her approximately 90 percent of the people hired to work at the District Heights restaurant live in Prince George’s County.
Judging by the response thus far by constituents, she said she thinks residents are supportive of the new restaurant.
“They have been asking since they saw the ‘Coming Soon’ sign, ‘When is this opening?’” she said, adding that she even fielded questions from hungry passers-by while on a tour of the restaurant earlier this week.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Hats off to County Council member Karen R. Toles
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Good news!
Did enough of the Marriage Amendment petition signatures qualify for the November ballot?
Yep.
Phew
I reside perhaps 12 miles from that store in PG County. PG is the richest black county in the world and District Heights might be 90 percent black. I am proud of the council woman for supporting enterprise and employment today. Bless her.
When I ate at Chik-Fil-A earlier this week (at the mall), they had more people working than the three adjacent restaurant counters. They also had the longest lines, the fastest service, and the happiest workers. Their staff seem to be enjoying the busy month they are having, and the place was hiring.
I ate at one Wednesday. The parking lot was full, drive through line was wrapping around the building, two guys were standing along side it taking orders on iPads. Almost all the seats were full inside. But the drive-through line was moving along nicely, there were open registers at the counter, food arrived quickly even though I get a slightly non-standard combo (spicy deluxe without the cheese). Everyone friendly, the people keeping the tables clean were getting drink refills for people eating inside.
It was a well-oiled machine with great customer service that most of the other chains wish they could duplicate half as well.
They gathered nearly TRIPLE the required signatures to make the November ballot.
There was an article a few weeks back in a local Virginia paper that 40,000 Marylanders have left the state due to so much leftism going Ontario , most moving to Virginia. I hope there are still enough votes to protect marriage. I’m hoping...!
A Dem woman? In PG? Wow, good for her.
“Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy sparked a national backlash against the company — including boycotts and kiss-ins by gay couples — after an interview last month”
National backlash? Maybe in news coverage, but that “anti-CFA” was a massive FAIL.
The REAL backlash was the grassroots nation-wide CFA-In to support them!
Get with it, Times!
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