Chick-fil-A has long distinguished itself in the QSR category by making care - for its customers, team members and the communities in which it operates - central to its business. Rather than wait for NYC or anyone else to address the serious needs of food delivery workers, we took action in a way consistent with our unique brand of care. The Brake Room is a first-of-its-kind rest station inviting delivery workers to relax, use the restroom and grab a cup of coffee. This simple idea is a ground-breaking experience that brought care, attention and empathy to NYC’s food delivery workers.

The food delivery industry has exploded over the past few years, but this has come at the cost of one group of people; food delivery workers. Third-party delivery apps continue growing and consumers increasingly rely on them, with the people making these deliveries left to fend for themselves.

They lack access to basic human rights — restrooms, warmth and a place to rest during the day. It’s dangerous, back-breaking work often in horrible weather conditions. And that’s on top of routine indignities, like not being appreciated or even acknowledged.

These conditions are compounded by the fact that thousands of immigrants, many of whom don’t speak English, make up the food delivery community — unfortunately exposing them to further mistreatment.

Chick-fil-A relies on delivery workers, and they deserve the same level of care the brand shows to everyone else, so we set out to make them feel seen, acknowledged and appreciated.

The Brake Room is a first-of-its-kind rest station dedicated to food delivery workers, designed to alleviate their difficulties. From the way the space was designed, to the amenities offered, the needs of the workers came first. The space gave them a comfortable place to rest, drink water, use the restroom, grab coffee and snacks to refuel, charge their phones, and connect with fellow delivery workers at no cost to them. To show them gratitude, the space is equipped with a digital display that featured real thank you messages from the city.

We showed them in a new light, with black and white photography, ultimately making them feel celebrated and special, and featured graphics on the walls inclusive of those who don’t speak English.

The design, typography and decoration of the space draws inspiration from New York to give this activation a sense of locality and belonging.

Given that food delivery workers felt invisible, building The Brake Room around their needs and wants was our top priority. Through ethnographies, interviews and focus groups across gender, ethnicity and age, we heard countless stories of being banned from restrooms, standing under scaffolding to eat and restaurants/apps who prioritized food over safety. Further focus groups informed aspects of the space, from types of chairs, to the security measures they needed to feel safe.

Building The Brake Room to speak directly to delivery workers wasn’t meant to end there.

Delivery workers are increasingly the only interaction people have with brands like Chick-fil-A, so their well-being can elevate the consumer experience.

Finally, the activation set out to ignite awareness with the general public, inspiring everyone to treat drivers with more care.

To get the word out about The Brake Room, we used multiple OOH and digital units to alert food delivery workers and the general public about our launch. Wallscapes, bus shelters and taxi cab toppers spread awareness as delivery workers rode through city streets. Additionally, we pushed our message through third-party delivery apps, who sent messages and emails to their delivery workers to inform them of The Brake Room.

Lastly, we knew that delivery workers tend to be an insular group that is slow to trust. But once our space launched, word-of-mouth spread and they arrived, thankful that they now had somewhere to go in between deliveries.

After the first delivery workers visited, word of mouth spread. The Brake Room was full of delivery workers taking lunch and coffee breaks with friends,charging their phones, or resting.

99% of food delivery workers said they felt cared for and appreciated and 100% said The Brake Room met their needs.

We received over 1.8 billion earned media impressions, $10.5 million in earned media and 99.9% positive sentiment - unprecedented in the QSR category. We made it into the opening monologue of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” and every major news outlet, solidifying our mark on culture and public awareness beyond the food delivery audience. Even The New York Times spent time in our space, experiencing and documenting its impact. And Grubhub, a major food delivery app, followed our lead with plans for their own rest station for delivery workers.

In New York, the plight of food delivery workers is painfully obvious. Even laws granting them basic rights like using restaurant restrooms are actively ignored — shockingly, even at the restaurants they deliver for. Above and beyond the denial of these basic human rights, food delivery workers in New York are subject to injury, theft and harsh weather conditions on their bikes. The Brake Room was especially impactful in the city, where food delivery is frequently used and a normal part of people’s daily lives. So frequent, there are over 65,000 food delivery workers. Just last year alone they made 120 million deliveries. They are the backbone of the city, and although were given status as essential workers during the pandemic, their existence faded into the background and they had become virtually invisible.