If you get the hankering for Chick-fil-A on a Sunday, typically there is no recourse to satisfy your craving until Monday, unless you dig into some leftovers. But that may all change, at least for New York.
A lawmaker in the Empire State has introduced a bill to require companies in transportation facilities and rest areas on Interstate 90, or the New York State Thruway, to be open seven days a week.
“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. 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,” the bill said, according to WTEN.
The bill calls out Chick-fil-A specifically, which has a tradition of being closed on Sunday company-wide.
“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 or worship if they choose, a practice we uphold today,” Chick-fil-A’s website says.
There are 27 service areas on the Thruway and Chick-fil-A has signed a 33-year contract with the authority overseeing the highway redevelopment project. It will be a vendor in 10 of the 27 stops, Spectrum reported. The plans for the Thruway services took into account Chick-fil-A’s 77-year-old policy.
Other companies at one of the new service areas include Shake Shack, Panera Bread, Starbucks, Applegreen C-Store and Taste NY food and drinks.
The bill is sponsored by New York Assemblyman Tony Simone.
It must pass both of the state houses before going to the governor.