Letter to the Editor:
Business appeared brisk Wednesday at San Diego-area Chick-fil-A restaurants amidst a national effort to counter backlash against the fast-food chain since its chief executive .
The recent comments by Chick-fil-A's CEO sparked some calls for boycotts of its restaurants and even some talk of banning the chain from opening franchises in some cities.
Santee City Manager Keith Till verified that there is no such movement to ban Chick-fil-A in Santee, in fact, final plans are in the works to . The restaurant will be situated in the Kohl's parking lot, alongside an that is scheduled to complete the exterior of its building, parking lots and landscaping by November 1, with the interior work to follow. Construction on Chick-fil-A would likely begin in September, shooting for an opening in February.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Hukabee called for Wednesday to be "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" in support of the company and CEO Dan Cathy, whose statements drew threats of a boycott from gay marriage backers and condemnation from the mayors of Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
The walk-in line at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in the Sports Arena area stretched into and around the parking lot at lunchtime, with a back-up for the drive-through window. Several people said on their Twitter accounts that the wait was around two hours.
"Somebody just said, 'This is what America's all about, this is what people actually feel,"' Wilhelmina Gorgensen told CBS8.
Long lines were also reported at the company's locations in Chula Vista and San Marcos.
Supporters of same-sex marriage plan to respond on Friday by going to Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country and kissing each other.
In Laguna Hills last week, nearly three dozen people attended the grand opening of a Chick-fil-A location, many carrying signs with messages such as "Eat More Equality" and "Will God Judge Me for Loving of Judge You for Hating?"
Chick-fil-A issued a statement noting that it did not organize today's events, but said the company appreciates "all of our customers and are glad to serve them at any time."
-City News Service contributed to this report
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