Chick-fil-A opens The Brake Room for delivery couriers — Epica 2023 PR Grand Prix

Food delivery powers Chick-fil-A's Manhattan business, but the couriers who do the work have no place to rest: most city restaurants deny bathrooms to non-customers, and workers ride through harsh winter weather without shelter, charging or even a seat.

Give delivery couriers what no one else provides: a branded rest stop with bathrooms, bike storage and chargers — hospitality for the people who carry the food.

In February 2023 Chick-fil-A and McCann New York opened The Brake Room, a repurposed storefront on Manhattan's Upper East Side, open to any delivery worker with recent proof of delivery on DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Postmates or Caviar — with restrooms, secure bike storage, seating, Wi-Fi, phone chargers and beverages, six days a week until mid-April.

The pop-up won the PR Grand Prix at Epica 2023, where the jury noted the concept spread to other brands and cities; riders and observers responded warmly, with fans asking for more locations.

New York City saw about 124 million food deliveries between July 2021 and June 2022, yet the couriers doing the work had no place to rest: most restaurants reserve bathrooms for customers, and riders spent winter shifts outdoors without shelter, chargers or a seat. Chick-fil-A noticed the gap and, with McCann New York, opened The Brake Room on the Upper East Side in February 2023.

The repurposed storefront on Third Avenue gave any delivery worker — not just those carrying Chick-fil-A orders — a warm place with restrooms, secure bike storage, comfortable seating, Wi-Fi, phone charging and beverages. Couriers just had to show recent delivery proof on DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Seamless, Postmates or Caviar. It ran six days a week, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., from February 16 to April 13, closed on Sundays like the restaurants themselves.

The gesture was both generous and strategic: the space sat about four minutes by bike from a Chick-fil-A, giving couriers a reason to gather near the brand and building loyalty among the people who deliver its food. The pop-up won the Epica 2023 PR Grand Prix, where the jury described it as a restroom created for couriers to shelter from harsh weather and job stress — and noted the concept had spread to other brands and cities.

It addressed a real, unserved need — couriers with nowhere to rest — instead of inventing a brand message.

The space was open to every delivery worker, not just Chick-fil-A couriers, making it credible hospitality rather than a sales stunt.

It extended the brand's core promise of service to the people who physically carry its product, making the idea feel inevitable.

Locating it minutes from a Chick-fil-A built courier loyalty and foot traffic — doing good and doing business at the same time.

The concept spreading to other brands and cities proved it was a transferable idea, not a one-off.

Treat the invisible workers in your value chain as guests: the most credible hospitality story isn't a new ad about service, it's a service the people who deliver for you can actually use.

The Brake Room ran as planned from February 16 to April 13, 2023, then closed. The concept spread to other brands and cities, and the project won the Epica 2023 PR Grand Prix, becoming a reference point for how brands can treat gig workers as part of their hospitality story. Meanwhile the underlying issue remained on the public agenda, with New York City continuing to pursue its own facilities for the roughly 65,000 local delivery workers.