The Chain Gang

Carl’s Jr. Once Boycotted Over Its Controversial Contributions, Too

Carl's Jr.
Carl’s Jr. Photo: Diesel Demon via Flickr

Lest Chick-fil-A be the only one to take the hate we love to dish, L.A. Weekly casts a second stone at Carl’s Jr. today. Recalling the chain’s turbulent slog through the late-eighties, Squid Ink notes the protests that roiled the burger empire in L.A. over founder Carl Karcher’s contributions to anti-choice political candidates and anti-abortion groups like Operation Rescue. A decade prior to those late-summer protests, Karcher was a donor to The Briggs Initiative, a state ballot proposition that sought to ban and fire “school employees who practiced or advocated homosexuality.” Again proving that history really does repeat itself, the late Karcher and his minions argued their controversial fiscal contributions were just an expression of “his right to freedom of speech.” Funnily enough, over 30 years later, it’s now the conservatives that are beefing with Carl’s Jr. [SI]

Carl’s Jr. Once Boycotted Over Its Controversial Contributions, Too