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Chick-fil-A announced late Sunday that it would no longer allow people to eat inside its restaurants amid the coronavirus outbreak.
What’s going on?
- Chick-fil-A released a statement Sunday night that said stores will “limit person-to-person contact” by blocking people from dining inside the store.
- Chick-fil-A may only offer drive-through services.
- Other Chick-fil-A franchises may offer takeout, delivery and mobile options.
- The statement read: “As we navigate the evolving impact of the coronavirus on our communities, we are temporarily closing our dining room seating to help limit person-to-person contact. Some of our restaurants may only offer service through our drive-thrus, while others may be able to offer takeout, delivery or mobile order options. Thanks for your patience.”
- The statement did not explain how this will impact employees.
What Chick-fil-A said before
- Last Thursday, the company released a statement that said operators would make their own decisions about their restaurants and whether to close them, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
- For example, a Chick-fil-A in Springfield, Illinois, elected to place all orders in bags. Refilled drinks were placed in replacement cups, according to WICS-TV.
Why it matters now
- The Chick-fil-A decision comes as multiple states and major U.S. cities have decided to close bars and restaurants to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
- As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said, this might not be horrible for fast food companies. “The biggest U.S. fast-food brands typically already generate the bulk of their revenue in drive-through lines. Chick-fil-A is no exception, normally pulling in about 70% of sales through drive-through windows.”