Chick-fil-A restaurants became hotbeds of cultural tension yesterday when hundreds of thousands turned up at fast-food joints after the chain placed itself at the center of a row over gay marriage. Drive-through lanes were backed up and dining rooms packed as some diners showed support for the chain which was lambasted when the CEO said he opposes gay marriage. More than 640,000 people pledged to attend Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day - an event organized by former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to support 'a company run by Christian principles'. Gay rights supporters also turned up outside the restaurants with rainbow-colored posters, bearing slogans such as 'HateFul-A'. They have promised a . counter-rally at Chick-fil-A, organizing a 'National Same Sex Kiss Day' at restaurants across the country. Scroll down for video . Hate-ful-a: Anti Chick-fil-A protestors are seen holding signs outside a Chick-fil-A  restaurant in Hollywood, California, competing with the thousands who turned out in support of the chain . Chicken out: A long line forms for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day in Fresno, California on August 1 after the company's CEO took a public stance as anti gay marriage . Out the door: The line to buy chicken sandwiches stretched into the parking lot in Longview, Texas, as supporters waited to buy lunch . Rally: In Longview, Texas, trucks and SUVs spilled out of the parking lot and lined the streets, waiting to get into the drive-through for Chick-fil-A . Traffic jam: In Ashland, Kentucky, the cars wrapped around the parking lot and lined the road as far as the eye could see . The escalating culture war over the . Atlanta-based company with 1,600 stores threatened to turn the humble . southern-style chicken sandwich into a political statement instead of a . food item. In Longview, Texas, trucks and SUVs lined up so deep that circled out of the Chick-fil-A parking lot spilled over into the road, the Longview News-Journal reported. Similar scenes played out out outposts for the chain all across the country. 'I was drawn to Chick-fil-A this morning not only because it is Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, but because the company supports the biblical definition of marriage,' Richard Norris, a first-time Chick-fil-A customer, told the Dallas Morning News. 'They’ve always stood for good Christian values.' At one location in Atlanta, employees had to stop taking orders from the drive through so they could catch up on the customers who had already ordered. 'Eat Mor Chikin': Customers were eager to head the company's longtime slog at the restaurant in Columbus, Georgia . Mobilized: Mike Huckabee's Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day event motivated hundreds of thousands of people to patronize restaurants across the country . Counter-protest: Adrien Grimm, left, 18, and Nicole Latham,19, rallied outside the Chick-fil-A against the company's anti-gay marriage stance . Dan Cathy's remarks about his family's view of gay marriage have stirred up a national controversy around his family fast-food chain. However, Chick-fil-A has made Cathy a  billionaires, along with his father Truett Cathy and his brother Don. Dan Cathy runs the $4.5 billion company as president and CEO, while his elderly father, the founder, remains chairman. The company's bylaws stipulate that each of the Cathy brothers owns a third of the restaurant chain. The Cathys are devout Southern Baptists. They lose an estimated $47.8 million a year because they refuse to open any of their stores on Sunday. Despite this, Chick-fil-A enjoys one of the highest profit margins in the fast food industry and have the highest sales-per-restaurant of any fast food chain. Chick-fil-A has 1,600 stores -- mostly in the South, Southwest and Midwest. Many operate inside food courts in shopping malls, hospitals and universities. Southwestern Baptist Theological . Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, said it would buy 200 chicken sandwiches . for students, faculty and staff today to support the restaurant. Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and a Baptist minister, says he organized the event to defend the company, which has been lambasted in the media and criticized en mass by gay rights supporters. 'Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we're considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant,' Huckabee writes on Facebook. He says supporters are standing up for free speech, as well.. In Chicago, the state Republican party chairman has called for an invesitgation after Alderman Joe Moreno said he would block Chick-fil-A's expansion in the city, reports WLS 890AM. The clash has made made patronizing Chick-fil-A a rite of passage for conservative politicians and pundits. Texas Lt Gov David Dewhurst and US . Senate candidate made sure he was photographed at a Chick-fil-A one day . before Republican voters went to the polls for the primary election . runoff. It didn't work -- Dewhurst lost to Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz. Former . vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin weighed in on the controversy, . saying Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy had been 'crucified' over his . opposition to same-sex marriage. 'I am speaking up for him, and his First Amendment rights, and anybody else who would wish to express their not anti-gay people sentiment, but their support for traditional marriage,' she said on Fox News on Tuesday. Family values: Contrasting arguments by the restaurant that they are a restaurant based on family values, these protestors said 'hate' doesn't fall in line . Beyond food: While some supporters argued political or religious motives refraining from the chain's menu, the day was one of expression for those for same-sex marriage as well as those against . A pair of nuns loaded up on chicken sandwiches, iced tea and milk shakes . In Chicago, Illinois, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel opposes an expansion of the chain, hungry supporters wrapped around the building . The state Republican party chairman has called for an investigation after Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno vowed to block a planned expansion of the company . She added: 'President Obama and Joe Biden they both supported the exact same thing until just a few months ago when Obama had to flip flop to shore up the homosexual voter base.' At a rally for Cruz on Friday, she told a crowd that she made a point to stop at Chick-fil-A when she was Texas. 'We don’t have that in Alaska. Love me some Chick-fil-A,' she said to roaring cheers. One-time Republican primary front-runner Rick Santorum has also come out in support of the chain. Cathy . was quoted in a Baptist newspaper on July 16 saying he was 'guilty as . charged' when asked about his opposition to gay marriage. Political statement: The humble southern-style chicken sandwich has become a cultural flashpoint, with conservative politicians like Sarah and Todd Palin making a point to patronize Chick-fil-A . Fighting back: Fox News commentator Mike Huckabee interviews supporters who came in for breakfast during Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day . Campaign stop: Texas Lt Gov David Dewhurst hoped to revive his ailing US senate bid by making a campaign stop at the restaurant . He later told a Christian radio show: 'I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, "We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage," and I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to try to redefine what marriage is about.' Cathy says Chick-fil-A isn't a Christian company -- however its stores are all closed on Sunday, even in airports and shopping malls, and his company biography says the company's purpose is to 'glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.' Chick-fil-A also puts its money where its mouth is, donating $5 million to Christian groups between 2003 and 2010. The company supported groups like the Family Research Council, which lobbies Congress on a host of conservative social issues -- including the prohibition of gay marriage. Big fan: Chick-Fil-A fan Rick Kelly shows his support in a chicken hat while dining outside New Orleans . Packed: In Enid, Oklahoma, Chick-fil-A customers lined up dozens deep, waiting for a sandwhich . Around the block: The line stretched well into the parking lot in at this store in California . Meanwhile, the company's employees are caught in the middle of the political row -- whether they agree with Cathy's comments or not. The Huffington Post interviewed several openly gay restaurant workers who said working for the company was difficult in light of the controversy because often times employees say homophobic things to them, thinking the comments are welcome at Chick-fil-A. An openly gay 24-year-old employee said a man came in and say he supported Cathy's comments then 'continues to say something truly homophobic, like "I'm so glad you don't support the queers, I can eat in peace."' Another gay employee added: '(It's) constantly having people come up to you and say, "I support your company, because your company hates the gays."' Stampede: Cars wrap around the Chick-fil-A drive-thru in Huntsville, Alabama today . Family day out: Parents and children lined up in St Joseph, Missouri to support the cause of Chick-fil-A by tucking into fast food . At least one store manager doesn't agree with Cathy and he has steered his store in the opposite direction. Anthony Picolia, the manager of New Hampshire's only Chick-fil-A, issued a statement announcing he will continue to sponsor New Hampshire Pride Fest. The comedy site Funny or Die took at shot Chick-fil-A with a spoof video featuring actor John Goodman playing Colonel Sanders, the venerable founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. 'Let it be known that Colonel Sanders loves the gays. Hell, I might even be gay,' he says in the bizarre parody. VIDEO: Protesters in LA don't seem to stop patrons... including veteran singer Pat Boone!... VIDEO: . Watch the Funny or Die video of 'gay Colonel Sanders': .
Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, sponsored by Mike Huckabee, had more than 650,000 attendees on Facebook .
Manager of New Hampshire's only Chick-fil-A bucks CEO and says he will continue to sponsor gay pride parade .
Gay employees say working for company is difficult, especially with homophobic comments from some customers .
Chick-fil-A restaurants became hotbeds of cultural tension yesterday when hundreds of thousands turned up at fast-food joints after the chain placed itself at the center of a row over gay marriage. Drive-through lanes were backed up and dining rooms packed as some diners showed support for the chain which was lambasted when the CEO said he opposes gay marriage. More than 640,000 people pledged to attend Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day - an event organized by former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to support 'a company run by Christian principles'. Gay rights supporters also turned up outside the restaurants with rainbow-colored posters, bearing slogans such as 'HateFul-A'. They have promised a . counter-rally at Chick-fil-A, organizing a 'National Same Sex Kiss Day' at restaurants across the country. Scroll down for video . Hate-ful-a: Anti Chick-fil-A protestors are seen holding signs outside a Chick-fil-A  restaurant in Hollywood, California, competing with the thousands who turned out in support of the chain . Chicken out: A long line forms for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day in Fresno, California on August 1 after the company's CEO took a public stance as anti gay marriage . Out the door: The line to buy chicken sandwiches stretched into the parking lot in Longview, Texas, as supporters waited to buy lunch . Rally: In Longview, Texas, trucks and SUVs spilled out of the parking lot and lined the streets, waiting to get into the drive-through for Chick-fil-A . Traffic jam: In Ashland, Kentucky, the cars wrapped around the parking lot and lined the road as far as the eye could see . The escalating culture war over the . Atlanta-based company with 1,600 stores threatened to turn the humble . southern-style chicken sandwich into a political statement instead of a . food item. In Longview, Texas, trucks and SUVs lined up so deep that circled out of the Chick-fil-A parking lot spilled over into the road, the Longview News-Journal reported. Similar scenes played out out outposts for the chain all across the country. 'I was drawn to Chick-fil-A this morning not only because it is Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, but because the company supports the biblical definition of marriage,' Richard Norris, a first-time Chick-fil-A customer, told the Dallas Morning News. 'They’ve always stood for good Christian values.' At one location in Atlanta, employees had to stop taking orders from the drive through so they could catch up on the customers who had already ordered. 'Eat Mor Chikin': Customers were eager to head the company's longtime slog at the restaurant in Columbus, Georgia . Mobilized: Mike Huckabee's Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day event motivated hundreds of thousands of people to patronize restaurants across the country . Counter-protest: Adrien Grimm, left, 18, and Nicole Latham,19, rallied outside the Chick-fil-A against the company's anti-gay marriage stance . Dan Cathy's remarks about his family's view of gay marriage have stirred up a national controversy around his family fast-food chain. However, Chick-fil-A has made Cathy a billionaires, along with his father Truett Cathy and his brother Don. Dan Cathy runs the $4.5 billion company as president and CEO, while his elderly father, the founder, remains chairman. The company's bylaws stipulate that each of the Cathy brothers owns a third of the restaurant chain. The Cathys are devout Southern Baptists. They lose an estimated $47.8 million a year because they refuse to open any of their stores on Sunday. Despite this, Chick-fil-A enjoys one of the highest profit margins in the fast food industry and have the highest sales-per-restaurant of any fast food chain. Chick-fil-A has 1,600 stores -- mostly in the South, Southwest and Midwest. Many operate inside food courts in shopping malls, hospitals and universities. Southwestern Baptist Theological . Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, said it would buy 200 chicken sandwiches . for students, faculty and staff today to support the restaurant. Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and a Baptist minister, says he organized the event to defend the company, which has been lambasted in the media and criticized en mass by gay rights supporters. 'Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we're considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant,' Huckabee writes on Facebook. He says supporters are standing up for free speech, as well.. In Chicago, the state Republican party chairman has called for an invesitgation after Alderman Joe Moreno said he would block Chick-fil-A's expansion in the city, reports WLS 890AM. The clash has made made patronizing Chick-fil-A a rite of passage for conservative politicians and pundits. Texas Lt Gov David Dewhurst and US . Senate candidate made sure he was photographed at a Chick-fil-A one day . before Republican voters went to the polls for the primary election . runoff. It didn't work -- Dewhurst lost to Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz. Former . vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin weighed in on the controversy, . saying Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy had been 'crucified' over his . opposition to same-sex marriage. 'I am speaking up for him, and his First Amendment rights, and anybody else who would wish to express their not anti-gay people sentiment, but their support for traditional marriage,' she said on Fox News on Tuesday. Family values: Contrasting arguments by the restaurant that they are a restaurant based on family values, these protestors said 'hate' doesn't fall in line . Beyond food: While some supporters argued political or religious motives refraining from the chain's menu, the day was one of expression for those for same-sex marriage as well as those against . A pair of nuns loaded up on chicken sandwiches, iced tea and milk shakes . In Chicago, Illinois, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel opposes an expansion of the chain, hungry supporters wrapped around the building . The state Republican party chairman has called for an investigation after Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno vowed to block a planned expansion of the company . She added: 'President Obama and Joe Biden they both supported the exact same thing until just a few months ago when Obama had to flip flop to shore up the homosexual voter base.' At a rally for Cruz on Friday, she told a crowd that she made a point to stop at Chick-fil-A when she was Texas. 'We don’t have that in Alaska. Love me some Chick-fil-A,' she said to roaring cheers. One-time Republican primary front-runner Rick Santorum has also come out in support of the chain. Cathy . was quoted in a Baptist newspaper on July 16 saying he was 'guilty as . charged' when asked about his opposition to gay marriage. Political statement: The humble southern-style chicken sandwich has become a cultural flashpoint, with conservative politicians like Sarah and Todd Palin making a point to patronize Chick-fil-A . Fighting back: Fox News commentator Mike Huckabee interviews supporters who came in for breakfast during Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day . Campaign stop: Texas Lt Gov David Dewhurst hoped to revive his ailing US senate bid by making a campaign stop at the restaurant . He later told a Christian radio show: 'I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, "We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage," and I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to try to redefine what marriage is about.' Cathy says Chick-fil-A isn't a Christian company -- however its stores are all closed on Sunday, even in airports and shopping malls, and his company biography says the company's purpose is to 'glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.' Chick-fil-A also puts its money where its mouth is, donating $5 million to Christian groups between 2003 and 2010. The company supported groups like the Family Research Council, which lobbies Congress on a host of conservative social issues -- including the prohibition of gay marriage. Big fan: Chick-Fil-A fan Rick Kelly shows his support in a chicken hat while dining outside New Orleans . Packed: In Enid, Oklahoma, Chick-fil-A customers lined up dozens deep, waiting for a sandwhich . Around the block: The line stretched well into the parking lot in at this store in California . Meanwhile, the company's employees are caught in the middle of the political row -- whether they agree with Cathy's comments or not. The Huffington Post interviewed several openly gay restaurant workers who said working for the company was difficult in light of the controversy because often times employees say homophobic things to them, thinking the comments are welcome at Chick-fil-A. An openly gay 24-year-old employee said a man came in and say he supported Cathy's comments then 'continues to say something truly homophobic, like "I'm so glad you don't support the queers, I can eat in peace."' Another gay employee added: '(It's) constantly having people come up to you and say, "I support your company, because your company hates the gays."' Stampede: Cars wrap around the Chick-fil-A drive-thru in Huntsville, Alabama today . Family day out: Parents and children lined up in St Joseph, Missouri to support the cause of Chick-fil-A by tucking into fast food . At least one store manager doesn't agree with Cathy and he has steered his store in the opposite direction. Anthony Picolia, the manager of New Hampshire's only Chick-fil-A, issued a statement announcing he will continue to sponsor New Hampshire Pride Fest. The comedy site Funny or Die took at shot Chick-fil-A with a spoof video featuring actor John Goodman playing Colonel Sanders, the venerable founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. 'Let it be known that Colonel Sanders loves the gays. Hell, I might even be gay,' he says in the bizarre parody. VIDEO: Protesters in LA don't seem to stop patrons... including veteran singer Pat Boone!... VIDEO: . Watch the Funny or Die video of 'gay Colonel Sanders': .
presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to support Huckabee's Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day event Baptist minister, says he organized the event to hate-mongers, and intolerant,' Huckabee writes on who said working for the company was difficult in employees say homophobic things to them, thinking manager of New Hampshire's only Chick-fil-A, issued a statement announcing he will continue to