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Chick-fil-A’s famous policy of closing on Sundays has landed one Texas franchisee in hot water with the federal government after a manager was allegedly fired for refusing to work on her Saturday sabbath.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Hatch Trick, a Chick-fil-A franchise operator in the Austin area, accusing the company of religious discrimination. It allegedly tried to force employee Laurel Torode, a member of the United Church of God, to work Saturdays despite initially agreeing to accommodate her faith.
According to the lawsuit, Torode disclosed during her job interview that she observed the sabbath from Friday sunset through Saturday sunset as part of her religious beliefs.
The United Church of God is a relatively small Christian denomination that broke off from the Worldwide Church of God in the 1990s and is known for observing the sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset instead of worshipping on Sundays.
The franchise allegedly honored the arrangement with Torode before reversing course months later and demanding she work Saturdays.
When Torode objected, Hatch Trick offered her a demotion to a delivery driver position that came with lower pay, reduced benefits and fewer hours, according to the EEOC.
After she declined, the company fired her, the lawsuit claims.
According to the complaint, Torode informed Braker Lane restaurant director Faye Campbell and Parmer Lane restaurant director Jeremy Jenkins during her August 2023 interview that she could not work Saturdays because of her sabbath observance.
The lawsuit alleges that Hatch Trick owner Jeff Glover later rejected several proposed scheduling alternatives that would have allowed Torode to remain in her managerial role while continuing to observe her sabbath.
News of the lawsuit was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The Post has sought comment from Chick-fil-A, the EEOC and Hatch Trick.
The case has drawn attention because Chick-fil-A itself has long highlighted its Christian roots and famously closes all restaurants on Sundays so employees can rest, spend time with family or worship.
Founder S. Truett Cathy established the Sunday-closing policy in 1946 after working grueling seven-day schedules in the restaurant business, according to company history cited in the background report.
The chain says its corporate purpose is “to glorify God,” and the company has maintained the Sunday shutdown policy despite the significant revenue it forgoes each year.
Federal law requires employers to reasonably accommodate workers’ sincerely held religious beliefs unless doing so would create an “undue hardship” for the business.
The legal standard for what counts as an undue hardship changed significantly after the Supreme Court’s unanimous 2023 ruling in Groff v. DeJoy, which raised the bar for employers seeking to deny religious accommodations.
Before that decision, companies could often reject requests if they imposed more than minimal costs. The Supreme Court ruled employers must show that an accommodation would create “substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business.”
The EEOC appears poised to test that tougher standard in the Chick-fil-A case.
The agency said Torode proposed multiple scheduling alternatives that would have allowed her to remain in her managerial role while still observing her sabbath, but the company allegedly rejected those options.
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