A Chick-fil-A franchise operator is facing a federal lawsuit over claims it refused to accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs.
Hatch Trick, Inc., is being sued for allegedly refusing an employee’s request not to work on Saturdays in observance of the Sabbath and for firing her instead, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Thursday.
Chick-fil-A is known for being closed on Sundays, so, as the restaurant chain says, employees can “rest, enjoy time with their families and loved ones or worship if they choose.”
The employee at the center of the lawsuit, Laurel Torode, worked at one of Hatch Trick’s Austin restaurants, managing delivery drivers from September 2023 to February 2024.
Torode, a member of the United Church of God, disclosed during her job interview that she could not work Saturdays due to her religious practices, according to the lawsuit.
For months, Torode was properly accommodated, but in early February 2024, Hatch Trick allegedly told her that she would have to start working Saturdays.
Torode suggested several options to remedy the issue, aside from her working during Sabbath hours, but Hatch Trick representatives refused, according to the lawsuit.
Instead, the franchise operator allegedly said she would have to move to a non-managerial position to avoid working Saturdays.
The non-managerial position would come with “lower pay, reduced benefits and fewer hours,” the EEOC said in its press release.
Without coming to an agreement, Hatch Trick later fired Torode, according to the lawsuit, which described the employee’s dismissal as “a result of its unlawful denial of her request for reasonable accommodation of her religion.”
The lawsuit seeks compensation for Torode, including back pay, and an end to Hatch Trick’s alleged religious discrimination.
“The duty under federal law to provide reasonable accommodation of religion reflects an acknowledgement by our society of the importance of faith in workers’ everyday lives and an abiding respect for those who observe religious practices as an expression of that faith,” acting EEOC Dallas Regional Attorney Ronald L. Phillips said in a statement.
“Just as adherence to the dictates of one’s own conscience is not optional, so too an employer’s duty under Title VII is obligatory, and the EEOC stands ready to enforce that legal duty,” Phillips added.
The attorney was referring to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans religious discrimination and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s beliefs or practices.
The Independent has reached out to Chick-fil-A and an attorney representing Torode for comment.
