Posted on 12/19/2023 9:28:31 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Chick-fil-A, a popular fast-food restaurant known for its chicken sandwiches and world-class customer service, might be forced to violate one of its most cherished principles due to a New York bill being considered in the state legislature.
New York state lawmakers have introduced a measure that would require restaurants operating at state Thruway service plazas to remain open seven days per week. Chick-fil-A, which was founded by Christians, has traditionally closed on Sundays in observance of the Sabbath.
However, the new bill would put this to an end. The proposal would amend an already existing law and require restaurants to provide services “every day of the week.”
The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 390 to read as follows:
Contracts for food service. Any contracts entered into for the operation of food services or food concessions at public transportation facilities owned or operated by the authority shall require that such services be provided every day of the week. For the purposes of this section the term "public transportation facilities" shall mean and include thruway rest areas, service areas and welcome centers. The provisions of this section shall not apply to temporary concessions or events including farmers' markets, flea markets or local vendors licensed or permitted to operate by the authority.
Those supporting the bill argue that it would maximize the use of public service areas and provide consistent service to travelers each day. In the text of the bill, the lawmakers make the following argument:
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.
Nevertheless, this type of measure reeks of government overreach. The notion that the state should possess the authority to dictate when a business chooses to conduct its operations is absurd. Chick-fil-A’s decision to remain closed on Sundays is a reflection of the company’s foundational values. Mandating this type of operational change is not only an infringement on business autonomy, it could also be an encroachment on cultural and possibly religious expressions of a private entity.
Moreover, there are plenty of other restaurants in the area where people can grab a quick meal. This bill is just another way for the state to assert control over the populace.
Of course, we would be remiss to ignore the greed factor. If Chick-fil-A is open an extra day of the week, that means it is serving more customers who are paying taxes each time they buy a chicken sandwich and waffle fries. The only one who truly benefits from such a move is the state government, which is likely the primary reason why these lawmakers are making this proposal in the first place.
That’s a better example than mine because it’s more directly comparable to what they’re trying to force Chick Fil-A to do. And of course we know they wouldn’t require their favored Muslims to do anything of the kind.
* Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays.
* New York State was and is aware of this.
* NYS entered into a contract with Chick-fil-A to operate on thruway rest stops.
And you think it is OK for NYS to use a law to force a change the implied and/or explicit terms of that contract?
Alrighty then!
2. I have never said CFA’s lease terms with the service area operating company should be changed against their will. I have, however, suggested that they probably won’t be able to renew their lease under their current operating hours if this law is passed.
How very fascist of them.
This is inline with the thinking that if you’re a “government employee” then you can’t have religious practices, symbols, morals, and ethics in the workplace. Somehow, being a “government employee” means you check those at the door. They’re saying this is, effectively, the same for “public space” and businesses must violate their principles or not operate there.
Of course, this is the opposite of what our Constitution intends. It’s an affront to religious freedom. It’s a “you can have your religious freedom, but only behind closed doors in private” policy.
As usual, if you want to know what is good and righteous, just ask a leftist...then do the opposite.
>>>>Right. And the government should close all the roads down on Sundays, too … because nobody should be traveling on the Sabbath anyway.>>>
Damn Straight. It’s time to return to God and his law and ALL 10 commandments. Sundays should be just as the Pope said in his encyclical letter Dies Domini......Governments must allow Sundays to be a day of rest for the masses.
I think we will go back to Sunday laws as the world implodes and people figure out it’s time to return to God or we are done for. Amen.
The only reason the NYS Thruway service plazas are allowed to exist at all is that they are covered under a grandfather clause that applies to any highway that had these facilities in place before the Federal law went into effect in 1960.
This idea that a public agency could operate commercial concessions on public property that is built and maintained with taxpayer dollars at various levels of government is an arcane dinosaur that doesn’t apply to most parts of America.
Now that the first discussion is closed, feel free to explain how this proposed law isn't a first amendment violation.
It’s not a First Amendment violation … any more than the state could require a Christian-owned towing company to be available for emergency response services on a Sunday as a condition of having a towing contract with the state government.
If you want to be a Christian business, that’s fine. But you simply may not be suitable to work in a public domain in a facility that operates 24/7.
The state in this case isn’t doing anything that isn’t commonly done by landlords of indoor shopping malls. Stores that lease space in those malls typically cannot be closed at any time when the mall itself is open.
"Might" my butt. CFA will gladly abandon their cherished principles. They've done it before and will do it again. They'll probably offer a free shoeshine to the first 50 blacks thru the door on the first Sunday they're open. May CFA crash and burn.
The point you seem to want to ignore is that NYS should not be allowed to force CFA to be open on Sundays. Period. And until the leases for each restaurant on thruways is up, neither should anyone else unless it is contractually allowed. After that they can do what they all want to do.
By golly, regarding Malls, you are right! I am now very disappointed that I was never able to get Chick-fil-A at White Marsh mall. I foolishly thought that the bars across the entrance meant they were closed when the mall was open!
Good news for those who like Chick-fil-A! Mall restaurants are open on Sunday!
Wait, you meant some malls allow Chick-Fil-A to be there and be closed Sundays? (psst ... so do thruway stops, for now. Get over it. Take Rt 20. whatever.)
Some folks just have low grease quotas I guess.
Okay. Chick-Fil-A, close affected restaurants in NY State and look to close all restaurants in NY overall.
I reviewed all 27 New York Thruway service stops. Where food services are offered there was only one where Chick-a-fil was the sole food service provider, and even then there was a retail shop that sells some non-cooked food items as well as a Starbucks. In all other service stops there either was no cooked-food services or there were multiple cooked-food service options.
https://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/travelplazas/index.cgi
The NY legislation is an obvious political swipe at a Conservative Christian owned business.
It is absolutely forbidden by Jewish law to conduct business on the Sabbath or holidays. You can't turn electric lights on or off, touch money, travel in a car, etc. There is no way a business could open and operate on the Sabbath or holidays.
So you are insisting that Orthodox business owners violate their religion? How many non-Jewish businesses are closed on Sundays? Plenty of them.
1. As the owner of highways and mass transit facilities that operate seven days a week (and 24/7/365, in most cases), the State of New York absolutely has both the authority and a public interest in ensuring that the business establishments operating in these properties are as accessible as possible to the general public.
2. CFA’s locations on the NY State Thruway are subject to the terms of their lease with the company that operates the service areas, and also presumably subject to the terms of the master lease between the service plaza operator and the Thruway Authority (acting on behalf of the State of New York).
This is not a religious or civil rights matter at all. It’s a matter of contract law, and without seeing the lease agreement between CFA and the service area operator there’s really no way of knowing what CFA may or may not be forced to do if the State of New York passes this law.
Do they have to hire servers with dreadlocks, nose rings and facial tattoos? And are the servers allowed to be pleasant and smile?
Very few, if any, of the restaurants in the NYS toll road rest stops are open 24-7-365. If that was not true I would not have had to use vending machines on 90 and 87. But that is beside the point. Many I-90 stops are being completely redone. It is entirely possible they want more uniformity of services.
Yes, of course, the various contracts involved are controlling in this case. Is there a 1st amendment issue? Possibly, but in NYS it has a snowball’s chance in hell. If they require being open Sunday through legislation I would hope CFA leaves, and that the rest stops they vacate take a financial hit in reduced revenue. CFAs here in flat land have cars wrapped around the buildings 1.5x and out onto the road nearly every day. Then again, it’s NY.
For the record, it is difficult to argue that the motivation of NYS is the public interest when I-90 tolls were supposed to go away many decades ago. ;-)
NY has a very high weasel factor, so I suspect the legislation was introduced to target CFA, but there is no way at all to support that.
BTW - absolutely love your about page.
Merry Christmas!
Well, well ... what have we here?
Perhaps I was hasty in thinking targeting is not supportable.
Applegreen runs the stops on the Thruway & helped finance the rebuilding of each rest area, I believe. It may be Applegreen is the CFA franchisee.
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