Watch out for flying cows, Covington.

The southern fast food chain Chick-fil-A, known for its fried chicken sandwiches, popular ad campaign of enlightened cows pleading for humans to “Eat Mor Chikin” and controversial stance on same-sex marriage, is considering a location in Covington.

The restaurant has a diehard following of fried poultry lovers, with more than 1,800 stores in 40 states around the country. Washington has been Chick-fil-A free since the branch at Western Washington University in Bellingham closed in mid-2011, but the company recently announced three new stores would be opening next spring in Bellevue, Lynnwood and Tacoma.

Kim Hardcastle, who works for Chick-fil-A’s public relations firm, said the company is always evaluating potential new locations.

“We would very much like to become a member of more communities in the Puget Sound area, including Covington,” she wrote in an email. “However, at this time, we are only able to confirm three locations planned for 2015 in Bellevue, Lynnwood and Tacoma.”

A Chick-fil-A representative met with city staff for pre-application on Aug. 27 to look at an existing fast food restaurant site on Southeast 272nd Street, which has a lease expiring in October, to go through a checklist of codes that include sewer and water requirements and zoning.

Salina Lyons, Covington’s Principal Planner, said this is “absolutely early on” in the process. Lyons said the company will decide if the site could work for them before they’d officially submit a business application.

“That could be six to eight months from now, or three months or a year from now,” she said. “We’re here to provide information to them (so) they can make decisions.”

In 2012, Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy publicly stated his opposition to gay marriage following reports that the restaurants had donated to charities that promote traditional marriage. This led to anti Chick-fil-A petitions, boycotts and protests around the country. In opposition, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee created a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, which reportedly led to record-breaking sales for the company.

Controversial or not, Lyons said it is not the city’s job to vet applicants.

“The city doesn’t pick and choose who goes where,” she said. “…If they meet the code, they meet the code.”

In other fast food news, construction is underway for a new Wendy’s restaurant at the previous site of the 76 gas station along Kent-Kengley Road, across from Fred Meyer. Lyons told The Reporter in May that demolition of the gas station was expected to start in June. She did know why demolition was delayed.

“That’s all on Wendy’s side,” she said. “The permits have been waiting. It’s their construction sequencing that drives it.”