Chick-fil-A boycott.... FAIL!!!

We arrived at Glenbrook mall at 12:06.  For you non-locals, the mall has a large food court on the lower level.  When we came in there was already a MASSIVE line.  One gentleman- not a mall or restaurant employee, I don't know what his gig was- was holding up a cardboard sign to let people know where the end of the line for CFA was, as it was a huge, meandering affair that the mall had set up just two aisles to handle.  There were easily four or five times as many people already in line that the rope-offs could handle.  Shortly after we got there, security showed up, desperately trying to set up more rope offs.  The guy directing traffic (AKA doing the mall's job) was told- LOUDLY- to get rid of the sign, cease and desist.  (Explained later by store management as a "liability issue".)  Dude then, for whatever reason, wwent around announcing that "the store manager told me I can't hold up the sign anymore", which didn't go over well either, and the security boss told him he was about to get arrested.  Then the uniformed security showed up, which drew onlookers on the upper level to see what was going on.  Soon they started taking pictures and the security boss screamed (no joke) at them to stop.  Which of course was the signal for everyone with a camera to start snapping away.  Of course, being the upstanding citizen I am (who has no idea how to get pictures from phone to computer), I kept mine holstered.

Security finally managed to get four aisles set up with rope-offs, and soon the line was overlapping them as well.  Several people complained to the manager about the dude with the sign getting yelled at, and he did his best to explain the mall's concerns.  In the meantime, the guy started directing traffic again, and the security boss warned him again to either get in line or leave.  Next, a group seemingly led by a praying man with Bible in hand stood just off the line.  Security boss had a chat with him, and about the time he was satisfied this group would be no problem, the directing guy was at it again.  To which Security boss yelled at him, and to the crowd: "This is your LAST chance!  Either get in line or leave for the day!  YOU ALL HEARD ME SAY IT!  Last chance!"

After whiling away the time talking to a couple that knew Pat Miller, we finally crossed the aisle and were now some thirty feet from the restaurant row.  First up was some salad place called Fresh Greens.  They had ZERO business, despite a handwritten sign on the cash register reading, "$1 OFF if you support HUMAN EQUALITY".   I don't know if Ft Wayne was full of people who owned slaves or just people who didn't want salad, but by the time we got up to the place, the one girl out front grabbed her purse and left.  A dude (might have been a lady, couldn't tell from my angle) was in the back cleaning, though.  Finally some skinny girl came up looking for a salad.  She couldn't see the bell conveniently sitting by the cash register (Or couldn't fathom its use, whichever) and stood around until she leaned far enough over the counter to get person-in-back's attention.

Taco Bell, who understands that not everyone who doesn't support LGBT is a homophobic bigot, was next, and they had some customers.  Then came the Chick-fil-A.  Five girls taking orders, three more assembling the orders, one manager making sure everything ran smooth, IDK how many in back.   And may I say, they did a FANTASTIC JOB!!!  YOU ROCK!!  Every one of them smiling, pleasant, and efficient.  We got our food at 1:26- one hour and 20 minutes after arriving.  And it is one of the best chicken sandwiches I ever had.

When we left, three of the aisles were still full!  Great job to Ft. Wayne for standing up for freedom of speech, Great job to Chick-fil-A for everything, great job to Directing Guy, and... uh... well, Glenbrook, who admitted that they "underestimated" what was coming and found itself "overwhelmed"  (mall manager's words, not mine), a C-.  And for all of you out there that blew this whole thing out of proprtion, who insist that a man who says he supports man-and-woman marriage is a bigot, here's for you: