Chick-fil-aKVUEChick-fil-A owner Jeff Glover hugs an employee.
A Chick-fil-A owner recently had to shut down his Austin, Texas, restaurant for five months for renovations.
Instead of temporarily laying off his 50 workers, Jeff Glover shocked his staff by continuing to pay them during the entire five months the restaurant would be closed, ABC affiliate KVUE reports.
Glover even gave them a $1-per-hour raise for sticking with him.
Starting pay at Glover's Chick-fil-A is $11 an hour and he pays full-time workers roughly $3,600 a month before taxes, according to KVUE.
"It would be a real financial crisis for the 50 families represented by the workers here to have to go five months without a job," Glover told the station.
At least one employee wasn't surprised by the gesture.
"I wasn't expecting less than that — he is always taking care of us," the worker told KVUE.
Chick-fil-aKVUE"He is always taking care of us," an employee says of her boss.
Chick-fil-A dominates fast food. The fried-chicken chain generates more revenue per restaurant than any other fast-food chain in the US, according to QSR magazine.
Chick-fil-A is best known for its crispy fried chicken, waffle fries, and milkshakes. But much of the company's success can also be attributed to its superior customer service — which is a rare quality in an industry that's notorious for its low wages.
At Glover's Chick-fil-A in Austin, customers rave about the service.
"This Chick-fil-A rocks," one customer wrote on Yelp. "They have a great system during busy lunch hours. I don't know how they do it because every time my order is right and fresh. Great job guys!"
Chick-fil-aKVUEChick-fil-A owner Jeff Glover.
Another customer wrote: "This Chick-fil-A was glowing it was so clean! My server was very friendly, and personally brought me my drink and food (both of which were accurate). Great experience."
A third raved about the employees' efficiency and friendliness. She wrote:
"Even in the noon hour, we easily found a parking spot and walked in. The place was full, but every register was open. No wait in line, and then we get a NUMBER for our table. Delivered to your table fast food? And then being asked if we had everything we needed, instead of just dumping it off? Shut the front door!
A subsequent staffer asking if "everything was OK" caught us off guard. Two more stops offering (and happily getting us) drink refills was shocking. Table clearing, but not in a way that made it seem like they wanted us to leave, caught us off guard.
Then the kicker. When asked if we needed "anything else," my friend coyly mentioned wanting a "Banana Pudding Shake." The helpful staffer said, "What size to you want? The Small is $2.78." (I might not have the number right, but he did). So he took the $3, and came back in a few minutes with my friend's shake and the change.
Amazing. At a fast food place."