Chick-fil-A Franchisee Sued Over Alleged Religious Discrimination

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit on May 14 against Chick-fil-A franchisee Hatch Trick Inc., accusing the company of religious discrimination for refusing to accommodate an employee’s request to avoid work on Saturdays because of the Sabbath.

Hatch Trick operates in multiple locations in Austin, Texas.

“The employee, who managed Hatch Trick’s delivery drivers at one of its Austin locations, is a member of the United Church of God denomination, which observes a Saturday Sabbath. In adherence to her religious faith and practice, she requested no scheduled hours on Saturdays, and she disclosed the need during her job interview,” the commission said in a May 14 statement.

“Although Hatch Trick initially honored the employee’s request to refrain from Saturday work, after several months, the company changed its position and demanded that she work on Saturdays.”

The company eventually fired her.

According to the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas–Austin Division, the employee, Laurel F. Torode, joined Hatch Trick’s Braker Lane franchisee location as a fleet supervisor in September 2023 and remained with the company until February 2024.

Torode worked Mondays to Fridays and did some additional work on Sundays, totaling 45–50 work hours per week. Between September 2023 and roughly February 2024, the company did not schedule Torode to work on Saturdays.

In early February, the company allegedly informed the plaintiff that she would have to work on Saturdays moving forward. When Torode requested time off on Saturdays, the company allegedly told her she would have to accept a non-managerial fleet driver position for that arrangement.

“At all relevant times, such fleet drivers were paid $12 per hour plus tips that varied in amount based on the volume of deliveries and the discretion of customers,” the lawsuit said.

This was almost half the pay of Torode’s existing fleet supervisor position, which paid $23 per hour with guaranteed overtime pay.

Torode proposed a number of “reasonable accommodations” that would allow her to continue to remain as fleet supervisor while getting time off on Saturdays, including “teaching restaurant team leads to dispatch, adding a delivery team lead, having a driver work in the dispatch role on Saturdays, and allowing Torode to work only after sundown on Saturdays.”

The company allegedly declined Torode’s proposal and did not evaluate any options to accommodate her religion other than shifting her to the fleet driver position, the lawsuit said. She was terminated from the job on or about Feb. 23, 2024.

In its statement, the EEOC said that the conduct charged against Hatch Trick in the lawsuit violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The regulation prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of religion, including by failing to accommodate workers’ religious exemption requests.

“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,” acting EEOC Dallas regional attorney Ronald L. Phillips said.

The Epoch Times was unable to reach Hatch Trick but has reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment.

Chick-fil-A is a major franchise known for not opening its outlets on Sundays, a policy instituted by its founder who wanted to give workers time to enjoy with their families or worship if they chose.

Countering Discrimination Claims

While there are regulations to protect employees from workplace discrimination, such as discrimination based on religion, there are several ways businesses can counter such claims filed by workers.

For instance, the company can argue in court that the action taken against the employee, such as termination or reassignment, was justified, according to a Nov. 1, 2025, post by the Employer Advocates Group law firm.

The company can use attendance records, performance reviews, and policy violations to claim that their decisions against an employee were rooted in business needs and that no bias was involved.

Another way would be to show that the employee was treated in the same way as other workers in similar situations. By showing that they have been consistent in workplace rules, the business can counter discrimination allegations, the post said.

According to an EEOC fact sheet, Title VII requires businesses to offer reasonable accommodations to employees’ religious beliefs, unless doing so would result in undue hardship for the business.

“A reasonable religious accommodation is any adjustment to the work environment that will allow the employee to practice his religion,” EEOC said. This includes flexible work schedules, voluntary shift substitutions, lateral transfers, and job reassignments.

Whether accommodating an employee’s religious exemption would cause undue hardship to a business depends on the individual circumstances.

“An accommodation may cause undue hardship if it is costly, compromises workplace safety, decreases workplace efficiency, infringes on the rights of other employees, or requires other employees to do more than their share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work,” the commission said.