Chick-fil-A plans to open Ottawa restaurant as part of Canadian expansion

This July 19, 2012 file photo shows a Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

U.S.-based fast food chain Chick-fil-A plans to come to Canada’s capital in the coming years.

The chain, which specializes in chicken sandwiches, announced Wednesday that it aims to open more than a dozen new stores by 2025, expanding to 20 Canadian locations, including in Vaughan, Barrie and Toronto's Eaton Centre.

And Ottawa has not been left out.

“Chick-fil-A also expects to continue its expansion into new Canadian markets in the coming years, including Ottawa (Ontario) and the province of Alberta,” a news release says.

Chick-fil-A currently has restaurants in Windsor, Kitchener, Toronto, Scarborough, Concord, and North York.

The restaurant chain has been controversial. CEO Dan Cathy said in 2012 that the company supports "the biblical definition of the family unit." He repeated his stance in a 2018 TV interview but said he is not anti-gay. Critics have also pointed to corporate donations to groups opposed to same-sex marriage.

The company announced in 2019 that it would end donations to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Protesters have opposed the opening of Chick-fil-A restaurants in Canada, including in Toronto and Windsor.

The company says Canadian franchisees will hire 80 to 120 additional employees at each location. Chick-fil-A also donates $25,000 to a local non-profit organization every time it opens a new restaurant. Restaurants also donate surplus food to local shelters, soup kitchens and charities, the company says.

The company did not say exactly when an Ottawa location would open or where it would be.