ATLANTA — Chick-fil-A and National Sandwich Day - seems like a natural match, right? The Atlanta-based chain thought so, too, and sent out an email encouraging customers to order their favorite chicken sandwich that day.
The problem? That day is Sunday.
Chick-fil-A issued a retraction after awkwardly realizing the conflict - the restaurant is famously closed on Sundays.
"Calling all sandwich lovers," the original message read. "Some prefer it grilled, others fancy the original. No matter which Chick-fil-A sandwich you love, order yours on November 3 for National Sandwich Day."
Then they checked the calendar, and issued an apology.
"We recently sent an email that included a message about National Sandwich Day, which naturally we were very excited about," the follow-up email said. "We didn't realize it falls on Sunday when we are closed. We apologize for the confusion and hope to see you soon (Monday-Saturday)."
Rival Popeye's, which is bringing back its chicken sandwich on Sunday, poked fun at Chick-fil-A's mishap, writing, "seriously... y'all good?" on Twitter.
Wendy's, another participant in the Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019, did not comment.
Chick-fil-A's closed-on-Sundays policy has led to similar friction in the past - when Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened with a Chick-fil-A inside, many cheekily questioned the point of it given that they play football on Sundays. It didn't even open for the Super Bowl. (The Chick-fil-A does operate plenty of days inside the stadium, thanks to Atlanta United, concerts and other events.)
The company could reportedly gain as much as $1 billion if it opened on Sundays. But as founder S. Truett Cathy once explained in a 2002 memoir, the decision to close on Sundays is a vow that takes precedence over profit.
Special exceptions have been made before, however, to help those stranded at the airport, affected by a hurricane or in other types of humanitarian situations.
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