D.C.-based &pizza will close all of its locations on Election Day to allow its employees the flexibility to vote.
Employees will get full paid time off for the day.
During the 2016 and 2018 elections, &pizza offered paid time off to vote to employees, but this is the first time it has decided to completely close all locations for the entire day.
It has more than 700 employees at its locations across the D.C. area, and in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York.
Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3 is not an official federal holiday.
It is petitioning other fast food restaurants to give their employees paid time off that day.
“Our democracy has been pushed to its limits, and we want to empower and educate our workforce to assert their voice at the polls,” said &pizza co-founder Michael Lastoria.
“With the industry’s help, we can provide a much larger opportunity to do what’s right and what’s needed in this country for this election and moving forward.”
The chain already offers all employees up to three days of paid time off to participate in activism of their choosing.
The first location of &pizza opened on H Street, Northeast in 2012. It opened its 36th location last summer on Wall Street in Manhattan and has plans to double the number of locations in the near term.
