Ever since the far-left began complaining about and boycotting Chick-fil-A over its now-deceased founder’s Christian beliefs concerning marriage, the popular fast-food chain has experienced exponential growth both in profits and the number of locations.

“Since then, the chain has more than doubled its annual sales and opened nearly 700 more locations, growing to be one of the most popular fast-food restaurants in the nation,” a recent analysis by the Journal & Courier reads.

As of June 2019, the chain was up to 2,363 restaurants located primarily in the United States, though some had reportedly begun to pop up in Canada as well.

The growing enterprise is now reportedly worth $10.5 billion, making it the third-largest restaurant chain in the nation behind Starbucks ($20.5 billion) and McDonald’s ($38.5 billion).

And all this despite years and years and years of being maligned, smeared and attacked by everyone from congressional Democrats to Hollywood actors and the mainstream media.

Case in point:

Chick-fil-A has released a poison into this city that tells queer people we’re less welcome here. We’re less safe. We’re always surrounded by people who hate us, but now those people can show us how easily, they reach for their hate. #Opinionhttps://t.co/wthaSI95M3 — TorontoStar (@TorontoStar) September 12, 2019

It’s time to choose where your loyalties lie ― with the queer community or with your stomach. https://t.co/3ZqACY3D8L — HuffPost (@HuffPost) June 13, 2018

The smearing began in 2011, when the chain’s founder, S. Truett Cathy, was outed as a proud Christian who’d supported organizations that oppose same-sex marriage.

“In 1984, Cathy founded the WinShape Foundation, a Christian non-profit focused on providing foster homes and camps for children, scholarships for college students and marriage counseling for couples,” the Journal & Courier notes.

“The nonprofit has made its own donations to other Christian organizations, including those that opposed same-sex marriage and promoted gay conversion therapy. Chick-fil-A made its donation of $8 million to WinShape in 2010.”

Chick-fil-A has itself reportedly made such donations as well.

“Last year, protesters accused Chick-fil-A of supporting an anti-gay agenda with donations, which the company has steadily denied,” the Los Angeles Times reported in 2012.

“A report from LGBT advocacy group Equality Matters concluded that Chick-fil-A donated more than $3 million between 2003 and 2009 to Christian groups that oppose homosexuality. In 2010 alone, the company gave nearly $2 million to such causes, according to the report.”

The report by the Times was specifically about remarks made at the time by Truett’s son, Dan Cathy (the current CEO), about the family’s proud Christian beliefs.

“Well, guilty as charged,” he said when reportedly asked during an interview about the family’s support for traditional man/woman Christian families. “We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives.”

And thus the floodgates of smears flew open even wider — as did the attempts to “cancel” Chick-fil-A and wipe it out of existence. Last spring Democrat officials in Texas banned the restaurant from the San Antonio International Airport over its allegedly “anti-LGBTQ behavior.”

One week later, public authorities in New York scrapped plans to build a Chick-fil-A at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport over its allegedly “anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.”

Their allegations were all nonsense, though. Chick-fil-A hires gay employees and serves gay customers. More importantly, the Cathy family’s religious beliefs regarding marriage have never once leaked into how the business is run on a daily basis.

“Recent coverage about Chick-fil-A continues to drive an inaccurate narrative about our brand,” a rep for Chick-fil-A said in a statement around the time that the chain was banned from two airports.

“We do not have a political or social agenda or discriminate against any group. More than 145,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs represent the Chick-fil-A brand. We embrace all people, regardless of religion, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Fact-check: TRUE.

It’s also important to note that Chick-fil-A doesn’t let its Christian values affect the daily operations of it’s restaurants. I work at chick-fil-a and it’s not like they required me to sign a statement of faith or something saying I’m not gay. That would be insane. — Cameron Teel (@conserv_cam) September 17, 2019

Funny thing is I know 2 gay guys that work at the Chick-fil-a down the road from me and they both say they been nothing but good to them so I’m calling selective outrage. — Chaz malick (@joker3838) June 12, 2018

Despite all the smears, lies and even protests, Chick-fil-A clearly continues to dominate — and in more ways than just one. The brand has repeatedly been named America’s favorite restaurant, including this year. One reason for its success may be its stunning acts of charity and generosity.

Such as when …

A Chick-fil-A manager changed the tire of a “shaking, almost in tears” 95-year-old World War II veteran.

A Chick-fil-A in Georgia suspended its service out of respect for a passing funeral procession for a deceased local officer.

A Chick-fil-A rushed to the rescue when a power outage at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport left thousands of passengers stranded.

A Chick-fil-A manager in Alabama provided a homeless man with gloves for the freezing cold weather outside, as well as a free meal.

The examples run for days, but for some reason, these examples are never cited by the restaurant chain’s many evidently anti-Christian haters.

As for the American people, they appear to be paying attention.

The Journal & Courier notes that Chick-fil-A’s sales have jumped by 16.7 percent within the last year alone.