Kevin D. Liles Photography

Chick-fil-A: Praise and Protest

From left: Deanna Atkinson, 50, Jacob Aberle, 24, and Jesse Irvin, 21, all from Atlanta, protest outside the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta on August 3, 2012.

I witnessed both sides of the Chick-fil-A debate this week, photographing the customer appreciation day on Wednesday and kiss in protests on Friday. It was simply amazing to watch a restaurant catapult to the center of the collective American dialogue in such a short amount of time. Below are a collection of photographs from the two events.

Like most Chick-fil-As around the country, the location off Windy Hill Road in Marietta was packed with supporters of the restaurant in the wake of anti-gay marriage comments made by its president, Dan Cathey. Many of these customers were attending Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, created by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. It was the highest-grossing day in sales ever for the chain.
Customers pack the inside of Chick-fil-A off Cobb Parkway in Marietta.
A manager at the Cobb Parkway location directs parking lot traffic.
Maggie Montana, 52, a customer of Chick-fil-A since 1967 and a lesbian, outside the Windy Hill Road location in Marietta. “If I want to be respected for my beliefs, then it’s only fair that I respect others’ beliefs,” she said. “Nothing is going keep me from my Chick-fil-A.”
Jacob Aberle, 24, of Atlanta, rallies Chick-fil-A protesters outside the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta.
Mershanda Finley, 21, of Atlanta, protests outside the CNN Center.
Protesters ask passersby to honk their horn outside the CNN Center.
Heather Michele (right), 35, and Ally Wells, 28, both from Atlanta, kiss in front of the Chick-fil-A restaurant inside the CNN Center.

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