The ongoing public debacle that is the battle between marriage equality supporters and the outspokeness of Chick-Fil-A’s CEO Dan Cathy’s support for “traditional” marriage has come to Long Beach.
On the latter end, a line of those against gay marriage and in support of the so-called traditional family snaked its way out of Long Beach’s sole Chick-Fil-A last week during conservative politician Mike Huckabee’s call for a “Chick-Fil-A appreciation day” (though not officially sanctioned by Chick-Fil-A, it was the company’s largest grossing single-day of operation).
On the former end though, supporters of gay marriage and an alternative definition to family can now enjoy what local LGBT-supportive restaurant Hamburger Mary’s simply calls the “hate-free chicken sandwich.”
“Well, I wouldn’t call our chicken sandwich ‘anti-Chick-fil-A,’ although it is certainly an alternative,” stated Mary’s representative Ashley Wright when asked if the company has been calling for boycotts of Chick-Fil-A. “We certainly understand why some people would not want to go there so… The original idea came from one of the franchise owners in Tampa, Brian DeChane, who approached me with the idea last week. We quickly threw something together and got the other Mary’s on board. It was really a no-brainer for us.”
When asked if mixing business with ethics was a smart move, Wright was adamant in stating that Mary’s has no problem with companies whose beliefs are guided by strict religious principles. “My brother and I were rasied Christian–and we try to live by the Golden Rule and I think that shows in the way [Hamburger Mary’s] runs our business. I don’t think it’s a good idea for a company to support discrimination of any kind.”
The sandwich–a deep-fried fresh chicken breast served with herb mayo and dill pickles on a bun– will act as “burger” of the month for August.
Hamburger Mary’s is located at 740 East Broadway.