BLOOMFIELD, NJ – Cancel culture is alive in predominantly blue New Jersey as the Bloomfield Mayor seeks to block a plan for Chik-fil-A, a conservative Christian-based corporation from locating its restaurant at the Brookdale rest stop. The plan was announced this week by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
“The McDonald’s restaurants at the Vauxhall and Brookdale South service areas on the Garden State Parkway have closed. Vending and grab-and-go food options will be offered at both locations temporarily. This spring, the main buildings are scheduled to be demolished. There will be no food available at either location while new facilities are being built,” the NJTA said in a statement.
The NJTA said it negotiated a new contract after the existing McDonald’s contract expired.
“The NJTA and Iris Buyer will share the cost of building the new facilities at Vauxhall and Brookdale south. When construction is complete in 2023, the Vauxhall restaurants will include Shake Shack, Popeyes, Dunkin’, and a convenience store, while the Brookdale South restaurants will include Chick-fil-A, Burger King, Starbucks, and a convenience store,” NJTA said.
Now, Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia and Councilman Rich Rockwell are going full cancel culture, trying to block the Chik-fil-A restaurant because the company’s Christian values are not in line with the two local politicians’ own progressive, leftist beliefs.
“This announcement by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to allow Chick-fil-A to open a restaurant at a Bloomfield rest stop is incredibly disappointing. Bloomfield is a diverse community accepting of all races, religions, and sexual orientations, which is the antithesis of what this chain stands for,” Venezia said in a statement. “Chick-fil-A has a long, documented history of opposing same sex marriage and supporting anti-LGBTQ legislators and organizations. I implore the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to reconsider this decision and to instead choose a restaurant that is more in line with our values.”
“Throughout its existence, Chick-fil-A has used its vast financial success to influence and support policies that are discriminatory to the LGBTQ community,” said Councilman Rockwell, who is openly gay, in a statement. “Chick-fil-A imposes its religion on employees, customers and operators and as a publicly funded entity, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority should not allow this type of business on the Parkway.”
Chik-fil-A is an extremely successful chain of chicken restaurants that now holds 40% of the fast-food chicken market. At any time of the day, except Sundays when they’re close, Chik-fil-A restaurants have lines, sometimes fifty or sixty cars deep waiting in line at the drive-thru.
In many locations, Chik-fil-A has had to redesign parking lot traffic patterns to accommodate the excess traffic.
The redevelopment is part of a multi-year plan to update the state’s aging rest areas on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike.
After getting nowhere with the NJTA, Venezia said he will now lobby Democrat state legislators to cancel Chik-fil-A.
“Though I respect the legal process that the New Jersey Turnpike Authority went through, I do not agree with the decision,” Venezia said. “I will speak with our state legislators to determine if there is any further action we can take to keep this chain out of Bloomfield. I encourage the commissioners of the NJTA to reconsider this plan.”
Rockwell said the presence of a Chik-fil-A in Bloomfield is, “An affront to our residents.”
The two Democrats failed to realize that most of the customers who will be stopping at the Brookdale rest area, located in Bloomfield, will not be local residents but travelers from all over the state who might actually enjoy Chik-fil-A. It would have been a better argument if the two men said the presence of a Chik-Fil-A could cause traffic jams at the rest area due to the chain’s tremendous soaring popularity.