Chick-Fil-A Opens Temporary Break Room For Delivery Workers In New York City

Delivery workers on bicycles are a common sight on the streets of New York City. Many work for popular delivery apps, bringing food from restaurants to people's homes no matter the weather conditions. On New York's Upper East Side, Chick-Fil-A recently opened a space just for delivery workers called "The Brake Room". The company wanted to provide a place for them to get a free cup of coffee, find a restroom, and charge their phone during the cold winter months. The temporary space will be open until April. Delivery worker Michael Salce plans to use it every.

"I needed this. This is a good place to take a break," Salce says.

These gig economy jobs often come with little security, but many more people could be looking for this type of work. Analysts at Bank of America predict an economic slowdown in the coming months could lead to job cuts, and unemployed workers often turn to gig jobs to make ends meet. The study predicts a million people could start delivering food for Uber Eats and Grubhub and offering rides through Uber and Lyft.

Andrew Wolf at Rutgers University studies app delivery workers in New York and found they often work in tough conditions for below minimum wage and depend on tips.

"With these apps, where they're classified as independent contractors, they're not entitled to any of these rights. The vast majority of people work at least six, if not seven days a week."

But there is another path. The ride-share startup Revel has a fleet of company-owned Teslas and hires drivers as traditional employees. They get paid breaks and benefits.

"They get health benefits, they get access to dental benefits, they get access to a 401k," says Revel Vice President of Rideshare Operations Keith Williams.

Revel says their employee drivers are more reliable and efficient and that gives them an edge over the competition.