Chicken chain Bojangles will close restaurants for 2 days to give workers a break – but won’t pay them during their time off, reports say

• Southern favorite Bojangles is due to close restaurants on August 30 and September 13.
• AP reported that workers will not be paid during the closures.
• The decision was a response to industry-wide labor shortages and other stresses, per AP.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Bojangles, a restaurant chain based in North Carolina, announced on Friday that its company-owned branches will close for two days. Workers will not be paid during this period, according to AP.

The company, which is known for its southern-fried chicken and biscuits, said employees had been putting in a lot of overtime and could use the closures on August 30 and September 13 to “rest and recharge.”

AP asked Bojangles spokesperson Stacey McCray to clarify whether staffers would be paid during the closures. McCray responded that they would not.

Bojangles would offer employees opportunities to work additional hours if they chose, she added.

Insider has attempted to reach out to Bojangles for comment.

Bojangles told AP that the closures were “in response to industry-wide labor shortages and other stresses put on its employees who’ve worked hard through the pandemic.”

Like many areas of the US, North Carolina appears to be acutely affected by the labor shortage. As Insider’s Grace Dean reported on Thursday, a McDonald’s branch in the state shut its dining room because it couldn’t find enough staff.

According to The News & Observer newspaper, the labor shortage’s impact is being felt among some of North Carolina’s distribution centers, factories, and construction sites.

One reason for this is because staffing firms that supplement and hire temps or contracters are struggling to fill positions in the area, the newspaper reported.

Bojangles has been operating since 1977 and has become a cult favorite over the years. It operates in 768 locations across 452 cities, according to data on its website.

Although most locations are in the Southern US, it began an aggressive expansion push in 2018, Insider previously reported. Around that time, the company’s stock plummeted before rallying to its highest price that year.

The chain has sought to reinvent itself with a new fried-chicken sandwich, as Insider’s Rachel Askinasi recently reported. Earlier this month, a Bojangles food truck situated in New York gave more people a chance to try out its chicken dishes.