Fast-food chain Chick-fil-A may soon be required to open on Sundays.
Chick-fil-A, established in 1964 with its first location in Hapeville, Georgia, is notorious for its crispy menu options strictly served Monday through Saturday. However, for all the fried chicken lovers and fans-alike, a bill was introduced in New York that would alter the popular hub’s weekly hours.
According to the restaurant’s website, founder Truett Cathy wanted the original establishment to be closed on Sundays, so he and his workers were guaranteed at least one day off to worship or do what they please. As of now, all Chick-fil-A locations abide by Cathy’s initial intentions, generally operating between 6am and 10pm for six out of the seven days of the week.
Yet, the New York bill is threatening this long-standing practice by proposing all rest stop locations along Interstate 90 open for normal operating hours on Sundays too. More specifically, any Chick-fil-A inside any transportation area or refueling station. Per the website, this would affect a total of nine locations.
“While there is nothing objectionable about a fast food restaurant closing on a particular day of the week, service areas dedicated to travellers is an inappropriate location for such a restaurant,” the bill states. “Allowing for retail space to go unused one seventh of the week or more is a disservice and unnecessary inconvenience to travellers who rely on these service areas.”
In conversation with Business Insider, a representative for Tony Simone, the assemblyman who crafted the bill, said: “Chick-fil-A could easily serve their customers better if their restaurants were open seven days a week.”
“The bill addresses the need for any restaurant that serves travellers to be open seven days a week,” the representative continued. “When it comes to travel areas, like rest stops, bus stations, and airports, people are often travelling on Sundays, and so it doesn’t make any sense for one of the few restaurants available at these locations to be closed on one of the busiest travel days of the week.”
Speaking to the New York Post, Simone emphasised the importance of having all food establishments open seven days a week if they’re located inside rest stops.
“And if they can’t, they shouldn’t be in our rest stops,” he noted.
Simone’s representative told The Independent: “This bill refers to future contracts struck by the Thruway Authority; the current Chick-fil-A contract would not be affected.”
The Independent has contacted Chick-fil-A for comment.
