The owner of the Nashua Chick-fil-A said Friday that his restaurant has gay employees and doesn’t discriminate against customers.

In a statement provided to The Telegraph on Friday, Anthony Piccola, owner and operator of the Chick-fil-A at the Pheasant Lane Mall, said he would be disappointed if the statements by the chain’s owner kept customers from eating at his establishment.

“In both my personal and professional life, I have had and continue to have positive relationships with family, friends, customers and employees in the LGBT community,” Piccola said. “It would make me sad if someone felt that they were not openly welcomed into my life or restaurant based on their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.”

Dan Cathy, president of the Atlanta-based chain, lit a storm of criticism when he told a Christian radio station that he prays for God’s mercy because this generation’s “prideful, arrogant attitude” gave it the “audacity” to redefine marriage. He later stood by his comments, telling Baptist Press he supports the “biblical definition of the family unit.”

In the statement, Piccola said the Nashua chain “has gay employees and serves gay customers with honor, dignity and respect. We also don’t discriminate in giving back to the Nashua community, donating to a wide variety of causes.

“I would challenge people to come have a conversation with me before they make assumptions or boycott my restaurant. Come to my restaurant and see for yourself that my team and I only have one mission: to serve exceptional experiences to all.”

– Telegraph staff