Once again, Chick-fil-A is closing some of its dining rooms. This time, though, it’s not because of COVID-19.
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The Atlanta-based restaurant chain is struggling to find enough employees in the wake of the lingering pandemic, Fox Business reported, a problem plaguing many companies across the country and one only made worse by the federal government’s so-called “enhanced” unemployment benefits.
At least two Chick-fil-A locations — in Madison and McCalla, Alabama — are shuttering their dining rooms over the staffing shortage.
The Madison restaurant operator, Norman Dull, explained his location is “in the middle of a hiring crisis,” adding, “We are doing everything we can to hire more team members.”
“We are seeing far less job applicants or people not showing up for their interviews,” Dull wrote on Facebook. “The restaurant industry has suffered from a hiring perspective during the pandemic and, unfortunately, Chick-fil-A is not immune to this labor shortage.”
“Because of this issue, we are having to temporarily close our dining room, turn off our mobile curbside ordering option, as well as our mobile carryout option,” he added. “This was done to help reduce the stress on the team members we currently have, but also to be able to still provide you with the Chick-fil-A experience you expect, just through a limited venue.”
Dull went on to state he has “some of the best team members in the world” who “work hard every day, but they are tired and overextended.”
Similarly, the McCalla location is experiencing a “staffing crisis.”
“As we move into the busiest time of the year for our restaurant, which is September-December, and with both high school and university students returning back to school and football/holiday season quickly approaching, we are unable to schedule enough team members to provide the excellent service that our guests deserve,” the chain location posted to Facebook. “The restaurant industry has suffered a great loss since early 2020, and we are not immune to this loss.”
“We are grateful for the support we received from our faithful community throughout 2020 and the first half of 2021,” the post continued. “We are very appreciative, but our team cannot continue at the pace we are at. Our team members are exhausted and there is no relief for them in our roster.”
The McCalla team asked customers to be patient as it “recalibrate[s]” by temporarily shutting down its dining room beginning Monday.
“We will get back to where we want to be soon,” the chain location noted, “but for now, we accept the gift of your grace.”
Needless to say, both locations are hiring.
Faithwire has reached out to Chick-fil-A’s corporate office for a statement.
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