Beyond the sandwich. Chick-fil-A launching app with animated shows, podcasts and more

The fried chicken-sandwich chain has announced plans to launch an app-that will stream original programming and podcasts as well as offer games, recipes and more as it looks to capture even more of its customers’ mindshare.

The Chick-fil-A Play app will launch Nov. 18, with what the chain says is family-friendly content, including podcasts geared toward kids to listen to on the way to school or after-school activities, original animated series featuring its mascot cows, and e-books.

“Hospitality and fun have always been at the core of the Chick-fil-A family experience,” said Dustin Britt, executive director of brand strategy in a statement. “We’re not looking for heads-down, solo screen scrolling; everything on the Chick-fil-A Play App is designed to encourage more talking, laughing, and playing together both online and in-person”

The Play app launched four years after Lifetime aired a fictional romance mini-movie about KFC’s Col. Harland Sanders, A Recipe for Seduction, starring actor and host Mario Lopez.

In August, Deadline reported Chick-fil-A was in talks with production studios as it searched for a library of G-rated content, as well as original programming for a streaming service. It’s unclear if separate plans are in the works for a separate service. Chick-Fil-A did not directly respond to questions about a possible standalone streaming service, but a spokesperson did say the company has been planning and working on this app for over two years.

Chick-Fil-A has dabbled in programming before, producing a series of animated films called Stories of Evergreen Hills, which focused on how acts of kindness can bring people together.

While the app could entertain some families, the company will have to walk a tightrope in its programming, as its faith-based and political views have landed it in uncomfortable PR situations in the past.

In 2012, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy characterized the U.S. as “inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and we say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.” That sparked a backlash that has not yet cooled down. Cathy has since passed the CEO reins to his son, Andrew Truett Cathy.

In 2019, the San Antonio district council approved a new concession agreement for the city’s airport that brought in more local establishments and specifically barred the chicken sandwich chain. At issue there was the donation of money by the Chick-fil-A to groups that have been accused of discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community.