Popular/not-popular fast-food chain Chick-fil-A has added another vegan item to its menu.
The new Kale Crunch Side salad is currently being tested at locations in Florida, Iowa, and Texas before rolling out to its more than 2,000 locations.
According to Chick-fil-A, the Kale Crunch salad is made with a blend of curly kale and green cabbage. It’s topped with salted almonds and comes with an Apple Dijon Dressing.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Kale Crunch Side to our guests looking for a healthier side alternative that is still convenient,” Leslie Neslage, menu lead for the menu and packaging team at Chick-fil-A, said in a statement. “We look forward to hearing what customers in our test markets think of this new menu item!”
The move comes as the fried chicken chain is under heavy criticism for its financial contributions to anti-LGBTQIA organizations and for comments made by its president, Dan Cathy, who said that the chain supported “the biblical definition of the family unit.”
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According to documents obtained by the website ThinkProgress, Chick-fil-A donated $1.8 million in 2017 to groups “with a discriminatory record against the LGBTQ community,” CNN notes. The company responded to the report saying in a statement that “to suggest that our efforts in supporting these organizations was focused on suppressing a group of people is misleading and inaccurate.”
But despite its denial of anti-gay agendas, pushback and criticism have been harsh. Earlier this week, the Texas attorney general Ken Paxton launched an investigation into reports that the city of San Antonio banned the chain from its airport in response to the anti-gay claims. When the city approved new concessions contract for the San Antonio International Airport, a condition was noted that Chick-fil-A not be included.
Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, running for president, said he didn’t approve of the chain’s politics, but hoped there was a possible change of heart in its future. “Maybe if nothing else, I can build that bridge,” the told radio show, “The Breakfast Club” on Tuesday. “Maybe I’ll become in a position to broker that peace deal.”
Despite not being LGBTQIA-friendly, Chick-fil-A is one of the more vegan-friendly fast food chains with items like waffle fries, hash browns, superfood sides, all made without any animal ingredients. The Grilled Market Salad and Cool Wrap can both be made without chicken.
