New York Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Require Chick-fil-A Restaurants at Travel Plazas to be Open Seven Days a Week
A New York lawmaker has introduced a bill that would require restaurants within rest stops on the Thruway and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to be open seven days a week. The latest legislation specifically targets nine Chick-fil-A restaurants that all operate inside New York travel plazas.
Chick-Fil-A, the largest fast-food chain specializing in chicken sandwiches, is famously 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,” per company policy. Chick-Fil-A has followed this policy since it opened its first restaurant in 1946.
A representative for Assemblyman Tony Simone, who proposed the bill, said the lawmaker believes “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 travelers to be open seven days a week,” the representative told Business Insider in an email. “When it comes to travel areas, like rest stops, bus stations, and airports, people are often traveling 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.”
The proposed bill has sparked controversy, with some supporting the idea of restaurants at travel plazas being open seven days a week to cater to travelers’ needs, while others argue that Chick-fil-A should have the freedom to continue its long-standing policy of being closed on Sundays.
It remains to be seen how the bill will progress through the legislative process and what the potential impact would be on Chick-fil-A and other similar restaurants at travel plazas in New York.