Chick-fil-A workers to be paid for aiding community during remodeling
PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — A Chick-fil-A will be shutting down for remodeling but employees will still be working during the six weeks.
The owner of the Plainfield Chick-fil-A will pay employees to work in the community while the restaurant is shut down for renovations and several expansion projects from Sept. 29 through the first week of November.
“Instead of clocking in here and being paid here, they’ll clock in at Sheltering Wings or Active Grace or at the schools, and they’ll get paid as if they were working here,” said franchise owner Chris Spires.
After a social media post reached 77,000 people, Spires said the store is working with about a dozen community partners to organize service opportunities. The partners include Plainfield Schools’ Imagination Lab, Active Grace’s Camp Camby, Changing Footprints, Plainfield Optimist Soccer, Sheltering Wings, the Plainfield aquatics center, the Plainfield-Guilford public library, and St Mark’s Episcopal Church food pantry and thrift shop.
“It really is to serve others,” Spires said. “It’s about that whole second mile of service, just kind of living that out while we’re closed.”
Also, he added, the community service might help his staff see the world from a different perspective.
“Partly, I’m hoping, it helps them be better servers when we get back after the re-open. So, there’s some ulterior motives I guess you could say,” he said and laughed.
Team member Daniel Tandoc, 21, said he’s eager to take advantage of Spires’ offer during the closure.
“I think it’s really cool. It’s a good change of pace because serving chicken sandwiches can get boring from time to time,” Tandoc said. “It’s such a quick service here and being abe to sit with people and talk with people there, I find it so much more enjoyable.”
Tandoc is a youth pastor and a Plainfield native and said he’s excited to help more at his church and make more community connections.
“For me it’s really just impacting lives in a very different way than serving a meal,” he said.
To make a suggestion on a project for employees to participate in, email plainfield.fsu@chick-fil-a.com. Spires estimates 60 to 80 of the store’s 100 employees will take advantage of the opportunity, resulting in 5,000 hours of community service.