By Emily Rella
It seems that virtually no industry has emerged unscathed from the coronavirus pandemic, but the restaurant industry was perhaps hit the hardest.Even major fast-food chains struggled with shuttering or temporarily closing locations and indoor dining, and it looks like those struggles are still ongoing.
One Alabama location of beloved chicken chain Chick-fil-A announced via social media that it would be closing its dining room amid labor shortages.
But instead of angry mob mentality complaints from customers, residents rallied behind the team and the decision to put employees first.
Norman Dull, operator of the first location in Madison, Alabama, posted a notice to the restaurant’s Facebook page late Saturday evening sharing the news.
“The restaurant industry has suffered from a hiring perspective during the pandemic, and unfortunately Chick-fil-A is not immune to this labor shortage,” Dull wrote. “Unfortunately, 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. 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 continued to praise employees. But admitted that they are “overextended” and “tired” before sharing that the location would still have its drive-thru open.
Dozens of customers took to the comment section to praise Dull and his team for the decision to put its employees first.
“We, the community are 100% behind you,” wrote Amy Farr. “We hope you get can get back to being fully open soon but YOU ALL have set a high precedent for all employers to take care of their employees!”
“Norman we know that you always take care of your employees no matter what happens,” said Bridgette Finlaw. “This is just a bump in the road and I know CFA will come out stronger in the end!”
The post has been shared over 160 times and garnered over 425 reactions, with customers calling the Madison location the “best store around” and thanking Dull for the quality of his staff.
The Madison location will host open interviews on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Prospective candidates can also apply online via Indeed.
The chicken chain reportedly generated a net revenue of $842.76 million last year.
