New York City delivery drivers and bikers can now take a load off with a soda on the side.
Chick-fil-A has opened a break room pop-up on Manhattan’s Upper East Side to say thank you to the city’s nearly 65,000 delivery workers, who brave the elements in the winter months to serve NYC diners.
“In metro areas like New York City, we see the same food delivery workers come through nearly every day of the week, several times a day, and how taking an extra second to warm up between deliveries or offering a glass of water helps to fuel them on for their shift,” Jared Caldwell, an NYC Chick-fil-A owner/operator, said in a release announcing the space. “The food delivery community helps to power our businesses, and this is just our small way of showing appreciation for all they do.”
From February 16 to April 13, workers who show proof of any completed food delivery order – and that includes all food deliveries, not just Chick-fil-A – within the past week for DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub, Postmates, Caviar or Seamless can gain entry to The Brake Room.
With its punny name, the space is appropriately fitted with indoor bike storage and areas to sit and relax. Additionally, patrons will have access to refreshments, phone charging outlets, WiFi and restrooms.
The Brake Room is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Saturday but is closed on Sundays — a custom followed at all Chick-fil-A stores.
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The news of the pop-up comes as data shows that food delivery orders have tripled since 2017, with Chick-fil-A reporting the highest number of NYC deliveries in the 2022 winter months, according to the company’s release. Making the space available addresses an ongoing issue for delivery workers, who aren’t guaranteed bathrooms or shelter by the delivery apps that employ them, per Business Insider.
“The food delivery community is an extension of the same experience Chick-fil-A restaurants provide our guests and an increasingly significant part of the business,” Joe Saracino, senior vice president of brand strategy, advertising and media at Chick-fil-A, said in the press release.
“We created The Brake Room as a small gesture, a little thing to thank them for all they do to serve our guests,” he continued, “Especially in a market experiencing high demand in sometimes harsh winter weather conditions.”
Related: 25 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Chick-fil-A