The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Hatch Trick Inc., a Chick-fil-A franchise operator, alleging that the company violated federal law by denying an employee’s request for Saturdays off to observe her religious Sabbath.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, centers on an employee who is a member of the United Church of God and who requested during her August 2023 job interview that she not be scheduled to work on Saturdays. According to the EEOC, the company initially honored the request but reversed course in February 2024, requiring her to work Saturdays despite repeated appeals for religious accommodation.
The employee held a managerial position overseeing delivery drivers at one of Hatch Trick’s Chick-fil-A restaurants in Austin, Texas. She worked between 45 and 50 hours per week, primarily Monday through Friday, along with some Sunday shifts. When she pressed management to maintain her schedule, the company allegedly told her she could not keep her role without working Saturdays and offered her a lower-paying delivery driver position instead.
"Religious discrimination in the workplace is unlawful, and employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees' sincerely held beliefs," said Norma Guzman, director of the EEOC’s San Antonio Field Office.
The employee proposed several alternatives that would have allowed her to remain in her managerial position, including assigning another driver to cover dispatch duties on her day off or permitting her to work only after sundown on Saturdays. The EEOC complaint states that Hatch Trick rejected these suggestions and ultimately terminated her employment when she declined the demotion.
Hatch Trick Inc. operates multiple Chick-fil-A locations in the Austin area. The fast-food chain itself closes all company-owned and franchised restaurants on Sundays, a policy rooted in its founders’ Christian faith that allows employees time for rest, family, or worship. The company’s website notes that this practice gives workers the opportunity to observe the Sabbath if they choose.
Chick-fil-A issued a statement to local media emphasizing that employment decisions at individual restaurants rest solely with franchise owners. “It’s important to know that, as a franchise business, all employment decisions are solely the responsibility of each individual restaurant owner,” the company told KVUE, an ABC affiliate in Austin. The BBC reported that Chick-fil-A declined further comment on the pending litigation.
The EEOC, established under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, enforces federal laws prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of religion, among other protected categories. The agency’s complaint argues that Hatch Trick failed to provide a reasonable accommodation for the employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs, as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Legal experts note that employers are generally obligated to accommodate religious observances unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the business. In this case, the EEOC contends that the alternatives suggested by the employee would not have created such a hardship.
The lawsuit seeks back pay, compensatory damages, and injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination at the franchise’s locations. Court documents indicate the employee was paid hourly and relied on the managerial role for both income and benefits that would have been reduced in the driver position.
Chick-fil-A has faced previous scrutiny over employment practices at franchise locations, though the company maintains that each operator sets its own personnel policies. The current case highlights ongoing questions about how national chains balance corporate values with the legal obligations of individual franchisees.
The EEOC filed the suit after an investigation into the employee’s complaint. No trial date has been set, and Hatch Trick Inc. has not yet filed a formal response in court. The agency is asking the court to order the company to reinstate the employee or provide front pay in lieu of reinstatement, along with other remedies.