Mayor: ‘Chick-fil-A or whatever the hell the name is,’ doesn’t belong in Boston

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino on Thursday vowed to block fast-food chain Chick-fil-A from opening a restaurant near the city’s “Freedom Trail,” a response to comments by the chain’s president that gay marriage is “inviting God’s judgment on our nation.”

“Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston,” Menino told the Boston Herald.

“You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion,” the mayor said.

Chick-fil-A is reportedly considering opening its first Boston location at a site directly across from City Hall.

“That’s the Freedom Trail. That’s where it all started right here. And we’re not going to have a company, Chick-fil-A or whatever the hell the name is, on our Freedom Trail,” Menino said.

Article continues below

Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy, in a recent interview with the Baptist Press, said his company’s position supporting “traditional marriage” is based on values rooted in the Bible, and that he intends to “stay the course,” which has included donating millions of dollars to anti-gay organizations, including Exodus International, one of the world’s largest promoters of “ex-gay” therapy.

“If they need licenses in the city, it will be very difficult — unless they open up their policies,” Menino warned.

Last year, Menino, a Democra, blocked Walmart from a developing in the city’s Roxbury neighborhood, criticizing the retail giant’s impact on neighborhood businesses and lower-wage workers.

The company released a Thursday that said it has a history of applying “biblically-based principles” to managing its business, such as closing on Sundays, but insisted it does not discriminate.