Can New York state force Chick-fil-A to open on Sundays?
Call it the grinch who might steal Sunday — a bill before the New York General Assembly that would require Chick-fil-A and other food services at rest stops to be open every day of the week.
As USA Today reported, if enacted, the bill would also require Chick-fil-A to be open on Sunday at the Port Authority in New Jersey.
The proposal is sponsored by two Democrats: Assemblymembers Tony Simone, who represents part of Manhattan, and Anna Kelles, who represents Tompkins County and portions of Cortland County, according to WRGB, a CBS affiliate in Albany.
Chick-fil-A, which frequently ranks at or near the top of lists of the most popular fast-food restaurants, famously closes on Sunday and has since its opening in 1946 because its founder, the late S. Truett Cathy, wanted his employees to be able to attend worship services and rest.
The company has kept the policy throughout two subsequent CEOs — Cathy’s son, Dan Cathy, and now his grandson, Andrew Truett Cathy — even though it’s been estimated that Chick-fil-A misses out on more than $1 billion in sales by closing on Sunday, and the empty stores disappoint myriad fans. (One viral video on social media shows a man selling “contraband” chicken sandwiches in a Chick-fil-A parking lot on Sunday to desperate consumers.)
New York bill A08336 says that “there is nothing objectionable about a fast food restaurant closing on a particular day of the week” but that publicly owned spaces should “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 says.
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If passed, the bill would affect Chick-fil-A locations already in service and any planned for 27 service areas being rebuilt along the New York Thruway.
It would also rekindle a longstanding debate about the Sabbath and the rights of people to observe it, as well as about the legality of blue laws, which the Supreme Court has upheld.
Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it’s unknown if the company would comply. But the company has historically stood strong against pressure to open on Sunday for commercial reasons; its location at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, for example, remained closed even when the Super Bowl was held there in 2019.
The company will, however, occasionally make an exception in the case of a disaster or emergency, opening on a Sunday in order to provide free food to those affected.
The question of whether New York can force Chick-fil-A to open on Sunday at rest stops might not make it to the Supreme Court, however. If Chick-fil-A says it will pull out of rest stops altogether rather than open on Sunday, outcry from angry customers could cause legislators to reconsider.
