MAGA Manufactures More B.S. New York WON’T Make Chick-fil-A Work Sundays

Another day, another false claim of victimhood/”religious persecution” from MAGAs in their never ending attempt to create new fronts in their culture wars. I’ll admit I like their chicken sandwiches. A tad pricey but the quality is, at least to me better than other chain’s chicken sandwiches. Anyway, most of us know they were founded by a devoutly religious person. He believed not just he but his employees should take Sunday off. Even I guess if they didn’t go to church at least it could be a day with family. I’ve actually got no problem with that. When I was young many businesses were closed on holidays and some even on Sundays. At least small family owned ones.

Chick-fil-A has continued it’s founder’s practice of staying close on Sundays. Well, if one wants to grab some fast food there are plenty of other choices so no big deal. However, New York state like most states has Rest Areas on its Interstate Highways. In many states they are pretty basic. Rest rooms and a lobby with maps and travel brochures, especially about nearby local spots. There’s an expanse of lawn which usually has some picnic tables. And plenty of space for pets to “do their business. In some states they provide more, such as gasoline and even food. Which brings us to this latest “crisis” MAGA has gotten all worked up about.

New York state has a bill in the works that would require all NEW rest stops/areas in the state with food service for the vendors to be open seven days a week. Note the use of the word “new” in the prior sentence. Also, the legislation isn’t specifically aimed at Chick-fil-A, but rather to all who might wish to contract for space in a rest stop’s food court. Finally, it has no impact on existing locations (and contracts).  Well, according to this article in Business Insider that has simply freaked conservative the f**k out! While the author talks in terms of “rumors” such as having heard it at a family Christmas party it’s being pushed well beyond low-key rumor mongering. None other than Senator Lyndsey Graham is on the attack. According to The Hill he says NY is in for “One Hell of a fight.” (Before I presume collapsing on his fainting couch) Last week on Twitter/X (TWixter?) he said of the proposed bill “This is war.”

Now he’s doubling down. From the Hill:

He continued to threaten to introduce legislation that would withhold federal funds from cities that require the fast food chain to remain open Sundays.

“The founders of Chick-fil-A made a decision early on to close on Sunday, consistent with their faith,” the South Carolina senator said at the time. “For any government to try to reverse this decision flies in the face of who we are as Americans.”

Lyndsey went so far as to visit a Chick-fil-A in New York to make his (dubious) point that by golly there was going to be hell to pay if the state of New York goes through with this.  I’m sure we’ll soon have Trump jumping on this and inserting ramblings about religion and how awful it is to force restaurant workers to work on Sundays. Not that he’s about to give the service workers at HIS places Sundays off! Anyway, let’s backtrack a bit to the original article I linked to. Again, Business Insider clearly makes the point the legislation ONLY will apply to new rest stops that are opened. Rest stops. NO Chick-fil-A’s other than those at rest stops would be affected. Oh, if you’re wondering about the ones already operating in New York state rest stops, nothing will change. At least not for a very long time. From Business Insider:

However, the bill would not impact the vast majority of Chick-fil-A locations in the state. It would also not immediately apply to the existing locations that are already in rest areas to open on Sundays, as it is meant to impact “future contracts.”

A state highway official told PIX11 News affiliate WTEN that Chick-fil-A already has a 33-year contract with the state highway system.

It would be decades before Chick-fil-A would have to confront the decision on whether to give up relatively small operations in NY rest stops or change its policy. IF they are still in existence who knows what changes in the company and it’s corporate culture and policy will be by then? Well, that’s impossible to know. Here’s what we know right now.

The state of New York will NOT force Chick-fil-A, even those currently in highway rest stops to be open on Sundays.

The legislation ONLY applies to Chick-fil-A locations at state owned and managed highway rest stops.

Chick-fil-A franchises currently in New York state rest stops are covered until a least with over thirty freaking years left on it, and won’t be forced to be open for business on Sundays.

Lastly, and not to be too mean about it but neither Chick-fil-A or any other food franchise has a right to have space in a rest stop’s food court!  When new rest stops are built they can either agree to the law and be open on Sundays or choose not to bid for space. They are after all all over the place and in the larger scheme of things the financial “loss” is a misplaced decimal point on the corporate bottom line.

However, conservative, both “Christmas and Easter” (if that) MAGAs and of course Evangelicals just LOVE their culture wars and given a chance to claim religious persecution they can’t help themselves. Keep an eye out. I do expect Trump to weigh in on this and it could turn into quite the sh*t show.