Chick-fil-A Owner Pays Staff During 5-Month Remodel

A popular Chick-fil-A in northwest Austin reopened Wednesday after a five-month renovation that doubled its footprint, making it the largest in the Austin area at 5,700 square feet. But that isn't what's making headlines. Franchise owner Jeff Glover, who's run the restaurant for 15 years, has been paying his 50 employees during the remodel—and to compel them to stay on, he gave them each a $1-an-hour raise, too, reports KVUE. "I thought to myself, 'I don't want my group to have to forgo their salaries,'" he says.

Some of his employees worked at other nearby stores during the remodel, while the ones who didn't were asked to take some online tests during their paid furlough, reports the Consumerist. "I've been here for over a decade and I can't put into words how much this means," one of the managers says. Last week's grand reopening was such a blockbuster people had to come from other nearby locations to help out. Glover will likely hire additional workers to help manage the larger space. (Check out what this CEO in Turkey did for his employees when he sold his company.)