From Wapo: “We are looking for volunteers for our new Drive Thru Express!” a Chick-fil-A in Hendersonville, N.C., wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday that has since been deleted. “Earn 5 free entrees per shift (1 hr) worked. Message us for details.”
The store, part of one of America’s most popular fast-food restaurants and a chicken-sandwich juggernaut of a business that has brought in billions of dollars in annual sales., was asking for “volunteers” who would be paid in chicken instead of money to work at the location’s drive-through.
The different approach to employment has been met with backlash for appearing to ignore the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the long-standing federal law that states how employers must pay their employees for all of the hours they work.
The Hendersonville location, which is run by a franchisee, responded to the online blowback by saying the “volunteer-based opportunity” was intended for people who “think it’s a good fit for them,” and argued it was different from full- or part-time employment.