Chick-fil-A May Soon Be Required to Open on Sundays

We can’t be the only ones who have experienced this feeling: you're going about your day when suddenly you get a hankering for Chick-fil-A, only to realize that it's Sunday and the fast food restaurant is closed. We don’t even want to admit the number of times we’ve pulled into a Chick-fil-A drive-thru, thinking we’ve hit the jackpot with an empty line, only to be greeted by nothing on the monitor because it’s Sunday.

It’s nothing new. Since the chicken chain opened its doors in 1946, all Chick-fil-A restaurants have remained closed on Sundays thanks to its founder, S. Truett Cathy. However, sometimes, that craving for a chicken sandwich and fries makes you forget what day it is. 

We know wanting Chick-fil-A to open on Sundays is basically a universal feeling for customers—so, we have some good news for you. The restaurant may soon be required to open its doors on Sundays thanks to a new bill out of New York.

Why Is Chick-fil-A Even Closed on Sundays?

When Cathy opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in 1946, he decided the staff would only work six days a week. In those days, it was a pretty common practice to close businesses on Sundays, as Sunday is a day of worship in many religions. With businesses closed, people could attend their religious services without any conflicts.

“Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest, enjoy time with their families and loved ones, and worship if they choose,” according to the Chick-fil-A site. 

While most businesses have stopped this practice, Chick-fil-A has upheld the tradition at all of its 3,000+ restaurants—including ones in rest areas, airports, malls, and sporting arenas. Yes, that even includes the Atlanta Falcons stadium, where the NFL team traditionally plays on Sundays. That’s where the new bill comes in.

What Would the New York Bill Mean for Chick-fil-A?

The bill, which was filed in New York state earlier this December, specifically pertains to restaurants at rest areas and transportation facilities. It proposes that all restaurants at these roadside stops be required to remain open seven days of the week.

According to the bill, the state is working to rebuild 27 service areas alongside the New York State Thruway for travelers and commercial truckers. The Thruway Authority has a partnership with Applegreen, which handles all leasing at the rest areas—and Applegreen works with Chick-fil-A. Currently, there are seven Chick-fil-A restaurants at rest areas in New York, all of which are closed on Sundays.

“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 reads. “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.”

If passed, the bill would require all food concessions—excluding local vendors and farmers markets—to be open seven days a week at any transportation facility in New York. There is also the hope that a similar bill will be passed in New Jersey since the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a joint state venture impacted by this bill.

Should the bill be enacted into law, there’s no telling what a domino effect could look like. It could lead to more states looking to pass a similar law—and also bring into question Chick-fil-A restaurants at some of the other aforementioned locations, like airports, malls, and sporting venues.

Only time will tell how long before you can actually enjoy Chick-fil-A nuggets and shake on a Sunday.