A Chick-fil-A franchisee being sued for religious discrimination has a subtle irony to it. After all, faith was the foundation of the chain’s identity. Its red-roofed eateries remain dark every Sunday while rivals draw large lunch crowds. That decision was made in 1946 by the company’s founder, S. Truett Cathy, and it has been worn like a badge ever since. The headlines practically wrote themselves when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Hatch Trick Inc., an Austin-area business that operates several Chick-fil-A restaurants, last week.
Laurel Torode, a United Church of God member, is the employee at the center of it all. Although most Americans are unfamiliar with this schedule, her denomination has a long-standing tradition of keeping the Sabbath from Friday at sunset to Saturday evening. She brought this up during her August 2023 job interview, according to the EEOC’s complaint. The business agreed. The arrangement worked for months. She worked 45 to 50 hours a week, managing dispatch, supervising delivery drivers, and working Sundays when necessary.
Then something changed at the beginning of 2024. She was informed by management that if she wanted to continue in her management position, she would need to start working on Saturdays. She resisted and made concessions, such as taking Saturday shifts after sundown and rearranging dispatch responsibilities among team members for one day every week. According to the EEOC, those choices were eliminated. Rather, she was offered a lower salary, fewer hours worked, and fewer benefits as a delivery driver. She was let go when she declined.
It’s difficult to ignore how this clashes awkwardly with the company’s public persona. The Sunday closure is still mentioned on Chick-fil-A’s corporate website as a gift to staff members, allowing them to “rest, enjoy time with their families and loved ones or worship if they choose.” worship, if they so choose. Now, the phrase sounds different. According to a federal complaint, Torode made the decision and may have paid for it.
As expected, the corporate office of Chick-fil-A has distanced itself. Reporters were reminded by the company in a statement that franchise owners make their own hiring decisions. That is both legally significant and technically accurate. This is how the majority of fast-food chains function, with franchisees managing day-to-day operations while corporate sets brand standards. Still, it seems awkward to distance yourself from a religious discrimination lawsuit when your entire marketing identity is based on Christian principles.
For its part, Hatch Trick Inc. has remained silent. That quiet is most likely deliberate. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which mandates that employers reasonably accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs unless doing so would cause an undue hardship, is at the center of this case. A 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy considerably tightened the definition of “undue hardship,” which courts have been debating for years. Employers can no longer simply point to small inconveniences. The EEOC may be acting so confidently because the bar is now higher.
Acting EEOC Dallas Regional Attorney Ronald L. Phillips put it succinctly. According to him, religious accommodations are mandated by federal law. It seems from reading his statement that the agency chose this case in part because of its symbolic significance. a devoted worker. an employer with a Christian brand. a dispute over the Sabbath. It reads almost like a hypothetical from law school.
It remains to be seen if Hatch Trick settles or engages in combat. These kinds of lawsuits frequently settle amicably prior to trial, with payouts and non-disclosures tying up the loose ends. However, Chick-fil-A’s brand image is already problematic. As this develops, it seems as though the chain’s careful identity—faith-forward, family-focused, and closed on Sundays—has been compromised in a way that is difficult to repair. The case is still in its early stages. The queries it poses are not.
