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Russell Moore congratulates Chick-fil-A for nabbing America's most popular fast-food chain title

"Food Is Essential to Life", S. Truett Cathy quotation at Chick-fil-A | Wikimedia Commons/Billy Hathorn

Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, lauded Christian-owned Chick-fil-A for topping the list of America's most popular fast-food chains based on Foursquare app check-ins.

Business Insider released an animated map showing the most visited fast-food restaurants in the United States based on Foursquare check-ins. Chick-fil-A placed first in 24 states, dominating the south and the southeast of the U.S. map.

Moore took to Twitter to congratulate the fast-food chain, posting, "This is, to say the least, impressive. Congrats @ChickfilA!"

Chick-fil-A, which is known to strictly uphold Christian values, has been involved in controversies on several occasions.

In 2014, Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy was quoted by Forbes magazine saying he was "guilty as charged" in supporting traditional marriage, explaining, "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."

Earlier this year, New York City Major Bill de Blasio and Councilman Danny Dromm called for a boycott of the store, which was then about to open a store in the city. In a press conference, De Blasio claimed that Chick-fil-A espoused "strong anti-LGBT message by forcing their employees and volunteers to adhere to a policy that prohibits same-sex love."

Chick-fil-A responded to the accusation by issuing a statement asserting that the restaurant chain did not discriminate based on an individual's "beliefs race, creed, sexual orientation or gender."

The statement further read, as reported by The Christian Post, "We are a restaurant company comprised of 80,000 individuals who represent different backgrounds and beliefs, and we are all focused on offering great food, service and hospitality."

Despite being involved in controversies, family-owned Chick-fil-A has enjoyed success. Back in June, it ranked highest among fast food restaurants in the United State for customer satisfaction, based on the American Customer Satisfaction Index Restaurant, which made use of responses from 5,000 diners in March.