“Publicly owned service areas should use their space to maximally benefit the public. Allowing for retail space to go unused one-seventh of the week or more is a disservice and unnecessary inconvenience to travelers who rely on these service areas,” the memo says.
The measure comes a few years after three state legislators sent a letter to the executive director of the state Thruway Authority asking him to “reexamine” the authority’s approval of Chick-fil-A to open locations along the highway system, citing the chain leadership’s public stance against same-sex marriage.
CNA reached out to the bill’s chief sponsor, state Assemblyman Tony Simone, for comment. A spokeswoman for Simone pointed CNA to the memo for the bill.
Chick-fil-A did not respond to a request for comment.
“Chick-fil-A has had a terrible record on LGBT rights. I’m not going to not say that clearly,” Simone told the New York Post last week. Simone identifies as gay.
“To serve New Yorkers and travelers, things should be open seven days a week, including Chick-fil-A, and if they can’t they shouldn’t be in our rest stops,” Simone said. “There should be options for people to eat and drink and not just one spot.”