- Chick-fil-A is never open on Sundays.
- The chain sprang into action this past Sunday, however, to prepare free meals for the thousands of passengers stranded after a power failure halted activity at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
- A Chick-fil-A spokeswoman said the company "immediately mobilized" after Atlanta's mayor called to ask for assistance.
Chick-fil-A broke from tradition and opened on a Sunday — and there's an incredible backstory
Chick-fil-A broke one of its core rules and served fried chicken this Sunday after thousands of passengers were stranded at the busiest airport in the world.
With the world's busiest airport closed for hours without power, stranding thousands of passengers, Chick-fil-A broke one of its core rules this past weekend and served fried chicken on a Sunday.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport lost power Sunday afternoon, causing more than 1,000 flights to be grounded. As day turned to night, the city of Atlanta turned to Chick-fil-A to help craft a solution.
Atlanta's mayor, Kasim Reed, called the fast-food chain at about 10 p.m. and asked for assistance, a company spokeswoman, Amanda Hannah, told Business Insider in an email.
Chick-fil-A is not open on Sunday because of the founder's religious beliefs. But on this Sunday, Chick-fil-A employees "immediately mobilized," Hannah said, making sandwiches and delivering them to an emergency operations center to be distributed to stranded passengers.
"It has been a very difficult day for thousands of travelers," Hannah said. "And while Chick-fil-A is always closed on Sunday, our restaurants open occasionally to serve communities in need."
Hannah continued: "We do not make a profit but do what we can to offer comfort to people experiencing hardship."
People immediately celebrated the chicken chain's break from tradition.
Power at was fully restored at the airport a few minutes after midnight. According to Georgia Power, more than 5,000 meals have been delivered to stranded passengers.