Chick-fil-A scrambled to explain itself after a reply to a customer with the phrase “your community” sparked allegations of racism.
The social media backlash began last Friday after one user tweeted the message “grilled spicy deluxe but still noooo spicy nuggets” to the fast-food giant’s official account.
“Your community will be the first to know if spicy items are added to the permanent menu, Don!” Chick-fil-A’s account responded.
A review of Chick-fil-A’s social media account showed the company has frequently used the phrase in recent days to convey they will announce when spicy chicken nuggets return to their menu in specific areas.
But this time, the seemingly innocuous reply drew immediate criticism from others who questioned whether the words “your community” had a racist connotation.
“Do you mean like the black community?” one user asked.
“Wym by ‘your community’ ?” another Twitter user said.
“Now I gotta cancel chick fil a??? I’m logging out of Twitter for the day. Take care,” another person wrote.
As of Monday, Chick-fil-A’s reply remained online and drew more than 1,600 comments and more than 8,000 retweets as Twitter users ripped the post.
Meanwhile, some users noted the fact Chick-fil-A has used similar replies on Twitter when asked about whether specific menu items would return.
Chick-fil-A has addressed the tweet in question and said it was not meant to be “insensitive.” Getty ImagesChick-fil-A addressed the situation in a statement to NBC News, noting that its use of the word “community” was meant as a reference to areas where its restaurants are located.
“The response was a poor choice of words but was not intended in any way to be insensitive or disrespectful,” a company spokesperson said. “We often use the term ‘community’ in a broader sense to talk about places where we operate restaurants and serve the surrounding community.”
Chick-fil-A’s use of the phrase “your community” sparked scrutiny. Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe Post has reached out to Chick-fil-A for further comment on the situation.
While Chick-fil-A consistently ranks among the country’s mostpopular fast-food restaurants, the company has faced controversy in the past. Some groups have pushed for boycotts of Chick-fil-A restaurants in recent years over its past donations to groups with anti-LGBTQ stances.
