Chick-fil-A open on Sundays?
Two New York State lawmakers have introduced just such a bill.
According to WGRZ, the bill will require Chick-fil-A restaurants at New York State Thruway service plazas to be open seven days a week. All Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Sundays.
State Assembly member Tony Simone and State Senator Michelle Hinchey, per the report, introduced the legislation.
Chick-fil-A will be in 10 of the 27 Thruway rest stops after renovations, but frustration has grown over the Sunday policy.
Chick-fil-A, as a matter of company policy, is closed on Sundays “to allow Operators and their team members to enjoy a day of rest, be with their families and loved ones, and worship if they choose.”
In a statement provided to “Capital Tonight,” per Spectrum News, a spokesperson for the Thruway Authority said “as part of the new 33-year contract to manage these facilities, Applegreen is required to have at least one hot and cold food option available 24 hours a day at all locations. Chick-fil-A’s Sunday closure is a brand requirement which Applegreen factored into their tenant plan. When the project is complete, Chick-fil-A will operate in less than half of the service areas on the Thruway – all of which have at least one other food concept and a convenience store open seven days a week with up to three additional concepts and a convenience store at the largest and highest volume locations.”
The legislation must pass both houses of the Legislature, both controlled by Democratic supermajorities, before it can head to the governor’s desk for a signature or veto.
The bill would “ensure that all future contracts for food concessions at transportation facilities owned by the Thruway Authority... be required to operate seven days a week, with an exclusion to temporary concessions such as farmers markets or local vendors.” According to the Democrat & Chronicle, that means Chick-fil-A wouldn’t immediately be forced to open on Sundays at locations in New York’s Service Area Redesign and Redevelopment project, but the law would apply to future food service agreements.
“While there is nothing objectionable about a fast-food restaurant closing on a particular day of the week, service areas dedicated to travelers is an inappropriate location for such a restaurant,” the legislation states. “Publicly owned service areas should use their space to maximally benefit the public. Allowing for retail space to go unused one-seventh of the week or more is a disservice and unnecessary inconvenience to travelers who rely on these service areas.”
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