Crowds pack Dalton Chick-fil-As

— Everyone in Dalton probably didn’t eat at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday. But at times it may have seemed that way.

Long lines started early at both Dalton restaurants, on West Walnut Avenue and in the Walnut Square Mall, and continued into the afternoon.

Former Arkansas governor and talk show host Mike Huckabee called on those who support Christian values to eat at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday.

“The goal is simple: Let’s affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-fil-A,” he said on his website.

The leaders of the Atlanta-based restaurant chain have received both widespread criticism and praise since its president, Dan Cathy, told an online Christian publication that “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”

Cohutta’s Sheila Cronan said she and her family stood in line over an hour-and-a-half to eat at the restaurant in the mall.

“We came here to show our support. We just wanted to show our national leaders and anyone else who wants to take note that there are still people in America who care and support our core values,” she said.

Cronan said she was angered that the mayors of Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and the New York City council speaker have said they do not want Chick-fil-A in their cities.

“If I lived in their districts I would be the first one on the courthouse square asking for their impeachment,” she said.

Dalton’s Frank Wells said he also was angered when he heard officials from across the country threatened to block Chick-fil-A from expanding into their cities.

“I don’t have strong feelings one way or the other about gay marriage, but it seemed to me that they (Chick-fil-A) are being bullied,” he said.

Managers of the Chick-fil-A and the mall declined to comment, citing company policy.

A message on Chick-fil-A’s website read: “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day was not created by Chick-fil-A. We appreciate all of our customers and are glad to serve them at any time. Our goal is simple: to provide great food, genuine hospitality and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this. We expected something to happen. We certainly didn’t expect this,” said Bill Wilson, who works at Kay Jewelers in the mall. “It started about 10:30 this morning. I noticed the line starting to grow, and it just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Pretty soon it was out the door.”

By 1 p.m., the line at the mall didn’t quite reach the entrance doors, but it came to within a few yards.

Chatsworth’s Garrett Lee Wilson said he went to both locations to see what was happening.

“This is so cool. I came here to support them, but I come here a lot. Their sweet tea is the best next to my grandmother’s,” he said.

By 2 p.m. traffic on West Walnut Avenue was still backed up to West Bridge Road. The parking lot to the restaurant there was full and the drive-through line was jammed.

“I came over here because I thought there would be long lines up in Chattanooga. But I’ve heard the lines are long everywhere,” said Lisa Jaye of LaFayette.

Jaye parked at a nearby restaurant on Walnut Avenue and walked over to get her food to go because the Chick-fil-A’s parking lot was full and traffic was lined up to get in.

“It was packed in there, but everybody was really patient and friendly,” she said.

Chatsworth native Jes Pulido supports gay marriage. He said he wasn’t surprised that so many people came out to support Chick-fil-A in Dalton.

“I’ve lived in northwest Georgia most of my life and I know that the supporters of gay marriage are a pretty small minority,” he said.

“I think it’s a little bit narrow that everyone focused so narrowly on Chick-fil-A when there are literally hundreds of companies that have their own political agendas and donate millions of dollars for or against any political issue,” he said.

Supporters of gay marriage have criticized the company for its donations to the WinShape Foundation, a charity started by Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy and his family. The foundation funds foster homes, college scholarships and summer camps and programs to help couples develop the skills needed to build lasting marriages. It also reportedly funds conservative organizations such as Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council.

Dalton Police Department spokesman Bruce Frazier says the traffic jam didn’t cause any serious problems.

“We haven’t had anyone out there directing traffic per se, but we’ve been sending patrol cars by just to make sure there aren’t any safety issues. But there haven’t been any problems, just some congestion,” he said.

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Crowds pack Dalton Chick-fil-As

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