Dive Brief:

• Chick-fil-A will begin reopening select restaurants for carryout in the coming weeks, but dining rooms and playgrounds will remain closed, according to a statement on its website.
• Plexiglass will be installed at the front counter to ensure six feet of distance between team members and guests and some restaurants may also install plexiglass shields at the drive-thru windows, according to a post on the company’s website. New signage will provide paths for guests to follow to maintain social distancing when they place orders and pick up orders. Floor decals will be placed six feet apart along the walking path inside and outside of the building. Hand sanitizers will be available for guests inside dining rooms. 
• Team members have enhanced safety protocols, including health checks, wearing masks, frequently washing hands and providing contactless ordering, payment and meal delivery. Staff at Chick-fil-A-owned restaurants will be provided paid sick leave for work missed due to COVID-19. Stores will provide thermometers to operators for team members to check their temperatures before entering the restaurant. 

Dive Insight:

Maintaining the health and wellness of team members as well as guests will need to be a high priority for Chick-fil-A. In the last week, over a dozen employees tested positive for COVID-19, which led to the closure of two stores in Texas, despite the safety protocols it had in place.

At the drive-thru, for example, Chick-fil-A has been installing hand washing stations for employees and requires staff to wash hands every 30 minutes and regularly sanitize their hands with Purell Wipes. Before each shift, team members review a list of symptoms, including those for COVID-19, so they know not to clock-in and to go home if they have experienced symptoms over the last 24 hours.

Chick-fil-A has also created additional ways for guests to order to meet social distancing guidelines. It added a new delivery partnership with Uber Eats, encouraging guests to order and pay with mobile devices and asking them to swipe their own cards when they pay at the drive-thru. It also added a meal kit offering on Monday to provide a new item to attract customers.

While the chain has said it will slowly reopen, it will have increased competition as other QSRs begin to resume operations as pressure builds to recoup lost sales. Starbucks expects to have a majority of its stores open by June with various social distancing protocols in place. Shake Shack plans to add drive-thru pickup lanes and walk up windows, which could help it drive more traffic to its locations sooner.