Chick-fil-A bosses set sights on Leeds for next fried chicken venture
A new American food giant is hoping to set up shop in West Yorkshire.
The US fried chicken giant Chick-fil-A says it is 'in process' of selecting operators in four locations including Leeds. The Atlanta-based company plans to open five restaurants within two years and invest £80m in the UK as part of a wider £1bn (£800m) plan to launch outside North America by 2030.
The group - famous for its Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich- is also targeting sites include London, Liverpool and Belfast for its successful return to the UK.
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However, when Chick-fil-A opened a site in the UK in 2019 at Reading's Oracle Shopping Centre, it was closed within a week. This was due to the chains reported 'donations' to anti- LGBT+ organisations which led to a boycott by Reading Pride and forced the company not to extend the lease beyond its sixth-month pilot period.
The brand also launched a site in Scotland in the Macdonald Aviemore Hotel, but that too was closed within months of opening. The company is now under a new management of the founder's grandson Andrew Cathy, who has 'overhauled' its philanthropic policy to focus on education, homeless and hunger.
Mr Cathy also wants the brand to work 'positively' with the communities and will not open on Sundays due to religion reasons, according to the Financial Times.