There's a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium - but the chain is refusing to open it on Super Bowl Sunday

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Chick-fil-A will not be open during the Super Bowl.

• The Chick-fil-A location in Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be closed on Super Bowl Sunday.
• Chick-fil-A locations all close every Sunday, in a move inspired by the chain's founder's religious beliefs.
• The chicken chain has explained its decision to open a location in a professional football stadium by pointing to events other than football that take place in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Super Bowl LIII will be a Chick-fil-A-free affair.

Some football fans might have hoped to enjoy a chicken sandwich from the chain as they watch the New England Patriots battle the Los Angeles Rams. After all, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, does have a Chick-fil-A location.

However, the Chick-fil-A will remain closed on Super Bowl Sunday, just as it does every Sunday, the company confirmed to Business Insider.

It's a tradition that has been in place since the company's foundational years. The company attributes the rule to Truett Cathy on its website: "Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose - a practice we uphold today."

Read more: Chick-fil-A is always closed on Sunday - except in these rare inspiring instances

Why would Chick-fil-A even open a location in a football stadium if it is going to stay closed on Sunday - including the biggest football Sunday of the year?

Chick-fil-A has addressed the question on its website. While the chain acknowledges that most professional football games are played on Sundays, it notes that many other events take place in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

"We're open for about 100 events a year that happen right here at the stadium," Jonathan Hollis, the franchise operator of the location, said. "We have Atlanta United soccer games, concerts, college football games, high school football games, band competitions and more. We even have a monster truck rally!"

The policy of closing on Sundays does create some issues for Hollis. Because a different food stand takes over the location on Sundays, employees have to set up from scratch for every non-Sunday event, bringing in the necessary inventory and swapping menus.

SI.com reports that on Super Bowl Sunday, the location will be filled with a "Fries Up" stand, which serves French fries with various toppings.