7 Fast Food Chains That People Have Boycotted, as Chick-fil-A Boycott Calls Continue

Chick-fil-A is under fire from right-wing media for being "woke" and taking on a business model that supports underrepresented groups in the workplace. Conservatives are taking to social media threatening to "boycott" because of Chick-fil-A's updated policy on diversity and inclusion. The chicken chain isn't the first to experience backlash and come under fire. Read on to see what other fast food chains people have boycotted and why.

In 2015, a South Florida police union called for a national boycott of Arby's after an employee refused to serve an officer. "I am offended and appalled that an individual within our community would treat a police officer in such a manner. It is unacceptable," Pembroke Pines Police Department Chief Dan Giustino told CBS Miami. The incident prompted officers' wives to protest at the restaurant. "I wanna cry. My husband spent 25 years. My son is an officer," said protester Wendy Sorrell.

Florida and Dade County PBA president John Rivera shared further insight about the incident and told the outlet, "It is beyond comprehension and deeply troubling that a business would deny service to a law enforcement officer just for being a law enforcement officer. In this case, after the clerk refused to serve the officer, the manager came up to the window laughing and said that the clerk had the right to refuse service to the officer. This is yet another example of the hostile treatment of our brave men and women simply because they wear a badge."

Arby's issued an apology and worked with officers to resolve the issue. "We take this isolated matter very seriously as we respect and support police officers in our local communities. As soon as the issue was brought to our attention, our CEO spoke with the Police Chief who expressed his gratitude for our quick action and indicated the case is closed. We will be following up with our team members to be sure that our policy of inclusion is understood and adhered to. Further, we will be following through with disciplinary action up to and including termination of the employees involved, as appropriate."

The burger joint was scrutinized in Spain for a Holy Week-themed campaign that marketed a new vegetarian burger using the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, according to Fox News. "Take all of you and eat of it," one of the ads said. "Which doesn't have meat. 100% vegetarian. 100% flavor. Big King Vegetable." Another ad read, "Flesh of my flesh," but crossed out the word "flesh" and replaced it with vegetable. T

he promotion ploy provoked outrage among the country's Catholic community, with some taking to social media and using the hashtag "boicottBurgerKing." The company removed the ads and took to Twitter to address the issue. "We apologize to all those who have felt offended by our campaign aimed at promoting our vegetable products during Holy Week. Our intention has never been to offend anyone and the immediate withdrawal of the campaign has already been requested." 

In 2003, PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animal welfare group, called for a global boycott of the fast food chain over the abuse of the chickens that become meals. "If people knew what happened to those chickens, raising them in their own filth and then dumping them on an assembly line to have their throats cut when they're still alive, they wouldn't go to Kentucky Fried Chicken," a spokesman for the group, Bruce Friedrich told the New York Times.

After five years, PETA ended its boycott of the restaurants in Canada after the chain agreed to more humane ways of handling chickens and turned their efforts to KFCs in the U.S. and other countries.

The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked a global outcry, and people have called for big corporations like McDonald's to stop doing business in Russia. #BoycottMcDonalds has been trending on Twitter for months. Tom DiNapoli, Trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, wrote a letter to the CEO of McDonald's stating that the company should discontinue sales in Russia: "I am urging McDonald's to conduct an examination of its business in Russia and consider pausing or ending its business operations in the country," wrote DiNapoli. "Pausing or ending McDonald's business operations in Russia would address various investment risks associated with the Russian market and play an important role in fundamentally undermining the international order that is vital to a strong and healthy global economy."

The Big Mac and golden arches were removed from Russia but have since been rebranded to "Vkusno & Tochka," which translates to "Tasty, and that's it." under new ownership, CNN reports. 

Subway is known for including sports stars in their ads, but when the company featured Megan Rapinoe, customers threatened to boycott. The soccer player, who has won two World Cups for the United States and a gold and bronze medal at the Olympics, has been outspoken about her political views over not supporting then-President Donald Trump, and many took to social media to express their fury over Rapinoe. 

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers works to protect agricultural workers and help improve their wages and conditions. When Taco Bell wouldn't pay suppliers their proper wages, workers went on a hunger strike in front of the company's headquarters in California. After three years, the coalition called off the boycott when former President Jimmy Carter helped negotiate a deal.

"This is an important victory for farmworkers, one that establishes a new standard of social responsibility for the fast-food industry and makes an immediate material change in the lives of workers," said the coalition's Lucas Benitez, according to The Guardian. "This sends a clear challenge to other industry leaders." 

Wendy's has restaurants in 29 different countries and is currently branching out in the United Kingdom, but many have been protesting the United States-founded chain since 2016 and oppose this move. Boycotters take issue with Wendy's because the company refuses to be part of a program designed to improve the rights of agricultural supply chain workers. In 2011, The Fair Food Program was launched by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida out of the group's Campaign for Fair Food. The initiative helps ensure workers are protected in their workplace through various methods.

According to The Guardian, the company released a statement in 2020 explaining why. "Wendy's does not participate in the Fair Food Program because there is no nexus between the program and our supply chain," the spokesperson said. "Since 2019, Wendy's has sourced our North American tomato supply exclusively from indoor, hydroponic greenhouse farms, while the Fair Food Program predominantly operates in outdoor, conventional tomato growing environments. Further, Wendy's has an established Supplier Code of Conduct that applies to significant suppliers of The Wendy's Company and our North America restaurant system, and we also require third-party reviews related to the human rights and labor practices for suppliers of certain hand-harvested, whole, fresh produce such as tomatoes."