Chick-Fil-A Discontinues Cow Calendar and the Internet Has Something to Say

Chick-Fil-A, purveyors of legendary fast food chicken sandwiches, is so beloved at least in part because of its mascot: a friendly cow with poor spelling skills who is on a mission to get people to “eat mor chikin.” For the past twenty years, said cow has been the subject of a fan-favorite calendar, but yesterday the chain announced that it would be discontinuing the iconic calendar—and Chick-Fil-A super fans were not happy. So they did what any incensed consumer does in 2018 to vent his or her displeasure—they took to Twitter.

Fans mourned the loss of the cow calendar on social media, writing that it was “the highlight of my year,” and that discontinuing it is “the most offensive thing to happen in 2018.” One person even wrote that she felt “betrayed” by the fast food chain. Clearly a deeply hyperbolic bunch, Chick-Fil-A fans must have really been attached to that nearly-illiterate cow.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the chain apologized for leaving fans so shocked and hurt by the news, saying, “We never like to disappoint our customers, so for that we are sorry, but we will continue to look for new ways to serve our guests in fun and creative ways.”

While the implication there is that new traditions involving the Chick-Fil-A cow mascot are sure to pop up in the future, fans are real upset to see a tradition many of them have been looking forward to since childhood disappear.

Besides the humorous illustrations of cows working out and climbing mountains, there is another reason to miss the cow calendar: It included a coupon for a free meal every month. However, that doesn’t mean that Chick-Fil-A is giving up on free meals altogether: You can still get deals through the chain’s mobile app and on Cow Appreciation Day.