Chick-fil-A looks for ‘volunteers’ to pay with food instead of money, offers salary of 5 chicken sandwiches per hour

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While thousands of workers are walking away from jobs over compensation, a North Carolina Chick-Fil-A has offered to pay “volunteers” who work there with chicken sandwiches.

The Hendersonville, NC, Chick-Fil-A posted the opportunity on Facebook on July 26, writing: “We are looking for volunteers for our new Drive Thru Express! Earn 5 free entrees per shift (1 hr) worked. Message us for details.”

It was quickly taken down as people ripped management for the offer, but the store’s Facebook page is still being flooded with angry comments.  (The backlash has been so sustained and persistent that the store has limited who can post on its comments, but that hasn’t slowed the criticism.)

The Hendersonville store, which counts Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn among its alumni employees, is a franchise, like many Chick-Fil-A locations and run independent of the chain’s parent organization.

Replying to the backlash, the store said in a post: “Thanks for everyone’s concern on this matter. This is a volunteer based opportunity, which means people can opt in to volunteer if they think it’s a good fit for them. We’ve had multiple people sign up and enjoy doing and have done it multiple times. People who sign up for this chose it voluntarily. We are still hiring full time and part time team members, so if you are interested in working in our store, we pay $19/hr.”

Hendersonville sits about 30 miles south of Asheville. The community is known for its wineries and breweries and extensive number of Airbnb homes for travelers to the area.