After learning that Chick-Fil-A donated money to the Family Research Council, an organization that falsely links homosexuality to pedophilia, Jo Jo Gonzales found himself at a fork in the road: Do I choose LGBT rights? Or do I choose a deep-fried chicken sandwich? Then a thought occurred to him–Why can’t I have both?
Gonzales and his boyfriend, Eddie O’Hara, decided to open an alternative to Chick-Fil-A that supports same-sex marriage. Thus, they have opened their first Cock-a-Grill-a-Do in Decatur, Georgia. “Eddie is Irish, so we had originally intended to call it the Bent Cock, which is British slang for gay. When we tried it out on potential customers, it stirred in their minds the images of a sex club, not a chicken sandwich, so we had to rethink our plan.”
The Cock-a-Grill-a-Do experience begins as the customer walks through the doors of the hot pink barn facade and is greeted by hunky, shirtless cashiers who eagerly await to take his order. At the moment, there are only two sandwich options: The Dirty Birdy, which is a deep-fried chicken sandwich, and the Cock-a-Grill-a-Do, which is the grilled chicken alternative. The customer may specify if he wants his sandwich with special sauce (with a money shot) or dry (a la safe sex). Instead of waffle fries, Cock-a-Grill-a-Do offers Chicken Scratch Fries, a latticed potato variation with a spicy seasoning. For dessert, choose from Aunt Earl’s Egg-straordinary Icebox Pie or Missississy Mud Brownie. Cock-a-Grill-a-Do turns lemonade on its rind with their refreshing adult beverage inspired lemon-fey’d.
After placing his order, the customer can relax by listening to chicken-fried takes on classic disco songs: “Ring My Neck” instead of “Ring My Bell,” “Let’s All Cluck” instead of “Let’s All Chant,” and “Le Beak” instead of “Le Freak.” When the food is ready, go-go boys in feathered g-strings with elaborate tails slide down a pole from where the kitchen is in the hay loft and deliver the food to the customer’s table. Customers are also treated to cock fights on the hour when sexy boys dressed in skimpy chicken-inspired costumes climb into the ring in the center of a dining room for cock fights.
So far, business has been phenomenal, but Gonzalez and O’Hara have received criticism from lesbians who feel that Cock-a-Grill-a-Do caters toward gay men–not women. “We’re planning to add a hen house in the back of the parking lot where we’ll serve organic and vegetarian options,” said Gonzales, “as well as acoustic music about chickens.”
When asked if they feel Cock-a-Grill-a-Do succeeds in providing a chicken sandwich in an environment that supports same-sex marriage, Gonzales and O’Hara look at each other. “You know, we got so swept up in the fabulousness of the idea, that we forgot all about that.”