Why Atlanta NFL Fans Can't Get Chick-Fil-A On Sundays

Hometown Atlanta Falcons football fans are looking forward to the eight home games their team will play in the city's brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sundays this season, but if they are looking forward to grabbing one of Chick-fil-A's signature chicken sandwiches, they're out of luck.

The fast food restaurant has a longstanding policy to remain closed on Sundays, and that's true of all the chain's stadium locations as well, despite the fact that the vast majority of NFL games are played on Sundays.

John Mattioli, senior manager of partnerships and activation marketing at Chick-fil-A, told Today that, "While we serve Chick-fil-A at several stadiums throughout the country, we have always adhered to our founder's commitment to close on Sundays. It gives our team members a chance to take a day of rest."

The fast-food chain, which has almost 2,000 locations, was founded in Atlanta in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy and has always been closed on Sundays. According to their website, Cathy considered the policy essential: "Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose — a practice we uphold today."

For those who worship football, that means that one day a week, Falcons fans will have to endure choosing between pizza, burgers, Tex Mex, or any of the other specialty options from the restaurant stands. So the lack of Chick-fil-A will fly a little under the radar — and ESPN reports that the booth's sign will be flipped over to that of a different restaurant on Sundays, smoothing the transition and offering even more choices.

Not everyone is upset by the closed-on-Sunday policy; in fact, this person respects Chick-fil-A for closing on that day. Click here for 10 more things you didn't know about Chick-fil-A.