Nirenberg defends council decision on blocking Chick-fil-A from airport; company responds

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg defended the city’s decision to block Chick-fil-A from being brought in as a food option at San Antonio International Airport.

The mayor made the comments during his debate against city councilman Greg Brockhouse in their debate at the Alamo Lounge live on KTSA Friday morning.

“There are many people in the community that are uncomfortable with Chick-fil-A,” Nirenberg said during the debate. “Have you ever tried to buy waffle fries on a Sunday? They’re closed!  Fifteen percent of sales generated in the airport come on a Sunday.”

His opponent said this move by the city council echoes the actions taken when the Republican National Convention came sniffing around.

“He told the Republican National Convention, ‘Get out of San Antonio.  We don’t want you,'” Brockhouse stated.  “Now he’s telling Chick-fil-A, ‘Get out of the airport.’ Who’s next if you believe in the Lord?  I don’t know.”

The original decision was made by the city council on the grounds of not meeting the city’s equality and inclusion principles.

Chick-fil-A told KTSA News in a statement Friday the decision came as a surprise to them:

“The press release issued by [councilman Roberto Trevino] was the first we heard of his motion and its approval by the San Antonio city council.  We wish we had the opportunity to clarify misperceptions about our company prior to the vote.  We agree with the council member that everyone should feel welcome at Chick-fil-A.  In fact, we have welcomed everyone in San Antonio into our 32 local stores for more than 40 years.  Our local restaurants consistently give back to the San Antonio community and have awarded more than $600,000 in scholarships to Chick-fil-A restaurant team members in San Antonio.

“We would welcome the opportunity to have a thoughtful dialogue with the city council and we invite all of them into our local stores to interact with the more than 2,000 team members who are serving the people of San Antonio.  We hope they will experience for themselves that Chick-fil-A embraces all people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.  We are proud of the positive impact we are making in communities across America, and specifically in San Antonio, and have been transparent about our giving on our website.  On a related note, CHick-fil-A was named “Best Franchise Brand” in 2018 by Airport Revenue News.”