The chicken craze continues as popular American fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A have opened their first-ever branch in the UK.
Home to The Oracle Shopping Centre, the culturally significant Reading Central Club which acted as a “spiritual home” for the black community in the 80s and 90s and of course Reading University, the Berkshire town is now also home to the UK’s first Chick-Fil-A restaurant.
With over 2000 locations, the franchise is most known for its chicken sandwiches, lemonade and wide-ranging selection of sauces.
This Reading branch is also the first Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Europe. The restaurant also expanded outside of the USA with a branch in Toronto earlier on in the year.
The excitement of the new franchise launching in the UK was also met with controversy from LGBT campaigners.
The CEO of Chick-Fil-A employs a strict Christian ethos within the company and has often donated money to campaign groups in America which oppose same-sex marriage.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said, “We can confirm we opened a pilot licensed location at The Oracle Centre of Reading on October 10 and we are pleased to have already served several hundred customers in our first day.”
“We understand and appreciate that people will have questions about our company and want to be clear that Chick-fil-A is a restaurant company focused on food, service and hospitality. We do not have a political or social agenda, and our brand is represented by more than 145,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs”.
With this Reading branch being a “pilot restaurant”, its success will determine whether cities across the UK will get to sample their infamous chicken sandwich and other items on the menu.
For more chicken news, click here to read about KFC’s new vegan menu.