Some Chick-fil-A Restaurants May Soon Be Forced to Open on Sundays — Here's Why The Rest Stop Restaurant Act would require certain locations of the chain to change their policies.
By Emily Rella Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- Chick-fil-A is famously closed on Sundays.
- A new bill called the Rest Stop Restaurant Act would force locations of the chain along the New York Thruway and Port Authority to remain open seven days a week.
- There are currently seven Chick-fil-A restaurants located along the Thruway.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Beloved fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is famously closed on Sundays, a policy that's been in place since founder Truett Cathy made the decision in 1946.
But a new proposed law in New York could mean that locations of the chain will have no choice but to remain open on Sundays.
The newly proposed bill, called the Rest Stop Restaurant Act, would require all contracted food and beverage companies along the New York State Thruway and Port Authority to be open seven days a week.
Related: 5 Things You Need to Know Before Investing in a Chick-fil-A Franchise
In 2021, the Thruway Authority handed off leases of all its service areas to Irish convenience store chain Applegreen, which now operates seven Chick-fil-A locations along its route.
Applegreen oversees a massive portfolio of restaurants that also includes Burger King, Starbucks and Subway locations.
"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 bill 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."
Should the law pass, it would go into effect 30 days after its passing. The New York State Assembly is in session from January to June, and its 2024 session begins on January 3.
Chick-fil-A doesn't operate like a typical franchise, meaning franchisees don't own the restaurants but operate them as managers of the locations.
Related: You Can't Own a Chick-fil-A Franchise. Here Are 3 Solid Alternatives.
The chain famously shuts its doors on Sundays to allow its employees to have one dedicated day of rest to spend with their families or worship if they choose.
Currently, there are more than 3,000 Chick-fil-A locations across 48 states, Puerto Rico and Canada.
Related: Why Chick-fil-A Employees Never Say 'You're Welcome'
