How Restaurants and Team Members spread joy during Sunshine Days®
When Deb Herich enters the dining room, you hear it before you see it—the laughter, the cheerful hellos, the way Guests light up when she remembers their usual order. Whether in her local restaurant or out in her community of Florence, Kentucky, she makes every interaction feel meaningful.
Deb embodies the heart of Chick-fil-A, always striving to serve with a smile. From March 3 to March 15, that spirit of care will shine even brighter in Restaurants and the communities they serve during Sunshine Days®.
The two-week activation is all about turning small acts of kindness into something bigger—encouraging Team Members to spread joy in meaningful ways and inspiring Guests to pass it on, just as Deb does every day.
From surprising Guests with flowers to organizing a Community Care Event for a local resident facing a rare disease, Chick-fil-A Restaurants across the country find their own creative ways to activate and engage Guests during Sunshine Days. Here are just four of our favorites:
The Heart of Sunshine Days at Chick-fil-A Mall Road
Deb brightens Chick-fil-A Mall Road with her sunny demeanor year-round, known for the joy and warmth she brings to every interaction.
This year, she’s leading the charge during Sunshine Days to spread even more joy. Inside the Restaurant, she is distributing handwritten notes of encouragement to Guests and third-party delivery drivers.
To bring smiles to the kids, she is setting up a craft area, complete with coloring sheets, stickers, and a photo booth. She will also be handing out food samples and bright flowers to make Guests’ days a little brighter.
Words of Encouragement
While many Restaurants choose to write notes of encouragement directly to Guests who stop in during Sunshine Days, the San Antonio market put its own spin on it last year.
Team Members invited Guests to participate in the note-writing with words of encouragement to a group that may not visit the restaurant as often—senior citizens.
Restaurants collected the handwritten notes throughout the week along with pennycake® games and catering trays, delivering them to senior living facilities. This simple act of kindness aimed to boost the spirits of residents as well as their caregivers.
Help from the Herd
In Phoenix, Restaurants strive to spread sunshine beyond their four walls. This year, they had some help. On a lively Monday afternoon, The Cows took over downtown Phoenix alongside some of the city’s favorite mascots—D. Baxter the Bobcat from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Go the Gorilla from the Phoenix Suns.
Together, the mascot trio brought smiles to pedestrians by handing out bright yellow flowers, turning an ordinary afternoon into an opportunity to surprise and delight passersby.
Spreading Sunshine Inside and Outside the Restaurant
Chick-fil-A Waterfront in Pittsburgh
During last year’s Sunshine Days, Chick-fil-A Waterfront in Pittsburgh found a heartfelt way to spread joy—by celebrating one of their biggest fans. They invited five-year-old Brooks, who is battling a rare form of cancer, to serve as the honorary local Owner-Operator for the evening.
With his own Chick-fil-A nametag and a front-row seat to restaurant operations, Brooks took his role to heart—creating milkshakes behind the counter and greeting Guests alongside the Cow. To further support Brooks and his family, a portion of all sales from the week were donated to his fight to beat Neuroblastoma.
Chick-fil-A Eastgate Plaza, Greensburg
Meanwhile, just outside of Pittsburgh in Greensburg, Chick-fil-A Eastgate Plaza joined in the spirit of Sunshine Days with acts of kindness both inside and beyond the restaurant. Team Members brightened Guests’ days by handing out flowers in the Drive-Thru and greeting their four-legged friends with pup cups and branded pet merchandise.
Team Members also visited the local courthouse, where they surprised workers heading home with bright balloons and a warm greeting from The Cow.
Whether in the Restaurant or out in the community, Chick-fil-A Restaurants and Team Members prove that even the smallest act of kindness can leave a lasting impact.
Sunshine Days is all about spreading kindness wherever Team Members can find opportunity, and Guests are invited to join in! A simple gesture—like a kind word or a thoughtful surprise—can spark a ripple effect of positivity that reaches far and wide, proving that even small acts of kindness have the power to brighten someone’s day and inspire others to do the same.
