Cyber Week Sale! 50% Off All Access

'We've Been An Elite Restaurant': Chick-fil-A Manager Started Offering a Three-Day Workweek. It Now Has 100 Percent Management Retention. The Miami-based operator began offering employees the option to work full-time hours in three days, and retention, cleanliness, and recruitment are all up.

By Gabrielle Bienasz

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Brandon Bell I Getty Images
A Chick-fil-A in Houston, Texas.

Earlier this year, Chick-fil-A franchise owner Justin Lindsey began offering employees and managers the option to work three-day, 13- to 14-hour shifts — and manager retention has climbed to 100%, he told QSR magazine.

Lindsey said he dialogued with employees at his Miami restaurant extensively before implementing the program. Workers were also allowed to choose if they wanted to participate, he told the outlet.

"A lot of companies talk about providing their team members with true work/life balance. At CFA Kendall we are actively doing something about that," he wrote in an earlier LinkedIn post about the change.

Here's how the program works: There are now two "pods" (groups of workers) at the restaurant. Instead of people swapping throughout the day, a consistent crew takes care of the establishment and works together as a team straight through the entire day, Lindsey told QSR.

The pods work on being the best at speed or inspections, which have become "literally perfect" since introducing the arrangement, he told the outlet.

"We've been an elite restaurant," he added.

And the proof is in the (shift) pod. Lindsey's Chick-fil-A location is on track to bring in $17 million in sales this year. The average annual sales volume for a Chick-fil-A location like this, that is not inside a mall or some such, in 2021 was $8.142 million.

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now and take this quiz to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

Chick-fil-A typically allows people to franchise one restaurant with an initial investment of $10,000, per its website.

Lindsey's philosophy on keeping his joint going: "lead with generosity," he told the outlet.

Gabrielle Bienasz is a staff writer at Entrepreneur. She previously worked at Insider and Inc. Magazine. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

'Brazen, Targeted Attack': UnitedHealthcare CEO Fatally Shot Outside Hotel in Manhattan

Brian Thompson was killed in what the NYPD says was a targeted attack.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Hackers May Be Reading Your Texts — U.S. Officials Urge All Americans to Use Encryption Messaging Apps in the Wake of Massive Cyberattack

The FBI and security officials warn that messages sent by AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies customers are vulnerable.

Science & Technology

Seven Years Ago, He Decided to Stop Doing the Expected and Went for a 'Moonshot.' This Year, His Company Will Make Just Under Billion Dollars in Revenue.

Brandon Sawalich, President and CEO of Starkey, discusses his company's revolutionary implementation of AI into hearing aid technology.