2 Chick-fil-A locations in LA stopped serving breakfast because they don't have enough workers

• Two LA Chick-fil-A locations put up signs saying that they were no longer serving breakfast.
• A manager at one of the restaurants said that they are trying to hire to fill gaps in staffing.
• Fast-food restaurants have simplified menus throughout the pandemic to speed up service.

Two Chick-fil-A restaurants in Los Angeles have stopped serving breakfast because of a lack of workers and "supply chain challenges," according to signs posted outside the locations.

"We're adjusting hours because of the labor shortage," Joqueeta Holmes, manager of the Sunset Boulevard location, told Insider. Hours were shortened from 7 a.m. to midnight to 10 a.m. to 10 p.m, beginning September 6.

"We're hiring weekly and hold interviews every week to help fill the gaps in back and front of house," Holmes said, adding that they offer a referral bonus to current workers who refer new employees. The location is recruiting younger workers to keep the restaurant working, too. "We are definitely hiring high school workers more than we have in the past, and being more flexible scheduling around school," Holmes said.

A representative for Chick-fil-A did not respond to a request for comment.

Chick-fil-A might be leaving money on the table by suspending breakfast service. In 2018 and 2020, breakfast hash browns made the list of top ten most ordered items. Breakfast also tends to be more profitable for businesses because of the lower cost of ingredients like eggs and bacon.

"Breakfast is higher margin," than other meals, Kalinowski Equity Research founder and CEO Mark Kalinowski told Insider. Another Chick-fil-A in Florida made a similar move earlier this summer, limiting menus to just lunch and dinner.

The problem isn't unique to Chick-fil-A or Los Angeles. Fast-food locations around the country are temporarily closing dining rooms or cutting hours without enough staff to keep them open.

Two more Chick-fil-A locations in northern Alabama have started closing early because of "extremely short staffing," Grace Dean reported for Insider.

"We, along with many businesses, are in the middle of a hiring crisis," the Calera, Alabama Chick-fil-A restaurant said in a Facebook post. A McDonald's location in North Carolina made a similar move, closing the dining room while keeping the drive-thru running.

Two campus Starbucks locations at the University of Alabama temporarily closed dining rooms due to "limited staff and supply chain challenges," The Crimson White reported.

Three more Chick-fil-A restaurants in Alabama had to close their dining rooms over lack of staff, though they continued to make food for delivery.

A Dunkin' location in Colorado temporarily closed operations completely after it was down to only three workers, Zahra Tayeb reported for Insider, and at least two Dunkin' locations in Rochester, New York have also shortened hours.

The Instagram accounts of both Los Angeles Chick-fil-As read "No breakfast until further notice" in their bios. Simplifying menus was a common tactic among fast-food restaurants over the last year and a half to reduce wait times and work with smaller staffs. McDonald's stopped selling all-day breakfast in March 2020, and cut down the menu to just best-selling items, but eliminating a meal from menus completely is still unusual in the fast-food world.

Other franchisees are taking similar measures to attract younger workers. A McDonald's in Medford, Oregon, has a banner out front advertising that it is hiring 14- and 15-year-old workers.

"There are always staffing issues, but this is unheard of," the restaurant operator, Heather Coleman, told Insider. She said the situation is unique in her family's 40-year history operating McDonald's franchises. 14 and 15-year-olds can legally work in fast-food restaurants, though there are strict limits from the Department of Labor on exactly what tasks they can do.

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.