Why Chick-fil-A May Soon Be Open on Sundays

Chick-fil-A in Maplewood, Minnesota.

Chick-fil-A open on Sundays? Consider your fried chicken dreams a reality–at least in some locations.

The restaurant chain may soon be forced to open its stores along Interstate 90–which is the longest interstate highway, servicing parts of New York and New Jersey across its 3,000-mile span to areas in the Pacific Northwest–and at the Port Authority in New York and New Jersey following the outcome of Bill A08336 proposed by the New York State Assembly.

Should the bill be signed into law, any food or beverage company–including restaurants and fast food chains–that operates along the Thruway or in Port Authority stations would be required to stay open seven days per week. The only workaround that has been disclosed to avoid a seven-day work week is for "temporary concessions," which have been described as farmers markets or local vendors.

"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 explained, in part. "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."

One of the bill's sponsors, Assemblyman Tony Simone, spoke Albany's WTEN about the bill, noting that it's intended to "serve New York travelers first" and adding that he thinks it's "ridiculous" that a food provider would be "able to close on Sunday – one of the busiest travel days of the week."

WTEN also reported that the company "already signed a 33-year contract with the Thruway."

Currently, seven Chick-fil-A stores are located in multiple New York State Thruway rest stops, with three more planned to be built, according to WRGB Albany.

Chick-fil-A has famously kept all of its stores closed on Sundays to allow its employees to take part in religious services, as the company's late founder S. Truett Cathy wanted to respect what is considered the day of worship in many beliefs, per the Chick-fil-A website. The company has worked on a Monday through Saturday schedule since Cathy opened his first restaurant in Georgia in 1946.

Though Cathy may have instilled the mandatory closures with religious services in mind, over the years, the company has adopted a more generic regard to the tradition of keeping its stores closed on Sundays.

Chick-fil-A senior director of talent operations Jodee Morgan told Thrillist in 2017 that the "day off is for people to spend time with their friends, their families, to do what they want."

Morgan's remarks were echoed in a video published on the company's website: "It’s not about being closed. It's about how we use that time. So while we’re off today, we hope you can be with your family and friends."

Chick-fil-A has yet to publicly respond to the proposed plans, which could put a stake in its tradition, but fans of the fried chicken chain seem indifferent to the potential change.

"The fact that there are lawmakers trying to force Chick-fil-A to be open on Sundays… aren’t there real issues to worry about…" one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, to which someone else replied, "It’s only restaurants that are in rest stops. Makes sense that they want people to have food available when traveling."

"All that's going on New York and they have a bill trying to force Chick Fil A to open on Sunday....." a third shared.

"This is so dumb. NY knew they don’t open on Sunday and never should have let them operate in rest stops," another wrote. "I can’t believe I’m on the side of Chick-fil-A. (Still not going to eat there.)."

The proposed plans have yet to be served as Simone and other bill backers are seeking co-sponsors to help pass the legislation during the current assembly session in Albany.

Next: Chick-fil-A Is Spreading Holiday Cheer With New Menu Items