IHOP Restaurant Agrees To Pay in Religious Discrimination Case

It looks like IHOP’s serving up a hefty side of justice with their pancakes these days. A Charlotte franchise just got slapped with a $40,000 bill for, according to a lawsuit, firing a cook who wanted to keep his Sundays holy. Seems like someone forgot that religious freedom is as American as apple pie – or should I say, as American as a short stack with extra syrup?

IHOP Franchise Accused of Violating Religious Rights

An IHOP franchise owner in Charlotte, North Carolina, has agreed to pay $40,000 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The case, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, involved a cook who alleged he was fired for refusing to work on Sundays due to his religious beliefs.

According to the case, the cook in question was initially hired in January 2021 and was granted a religious accommodation to not work on Sundays. However, after a change in management in April 2021, the new general manager allegedly expressed hostility towards this accommodation and required the employee to work on Sundays. When the cook refused, citing his religious beliefs, he was promptly fired, per the lawsuit..

Details of the Discrimination Case

The general manager’s actions went beyond just firing the cook. According to the EEOC, the manager made comments to other employees that the worker’s job should come before his religion and that the employee supposedly believed attending church was more important than paying bills. The general manager was accused of making these comments in a blatant disregard for the employee’s religious rights and a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Charlotte IHOP to pay $40,000 to Christian cook it fired after he asked for Sundays off https://t.co/chCBrBppCd

— The News & Observer (@newsobserver) August 9, 2024

“Religious discrimination is intolerable,” Taittiona Miles, lead trial attorney for the case, said in a prepared statement. “Employers must respect all sincerely held religious beliefs, which includes providing reasonable accommodations when no undue hardship exists.”

The EEOC attempted to reach a pre-litigation settlement before filing the lawsuit. However, when these efforts failed, they took legal action to protect the rights of the employee and ensure that such discrimination does not continue unchecked.

The Settlement

Under the two-year consent decree, Suncakes NC, LLC, the franchise owner, will not only pay $40,000 in damages but also implement several measures to prevent future discrimination. These include providing annual Title VII training to managers, posting a notice about the settlement, and revising policies to include protection for religious accommodations.

The revised policy will be posted in all 17 IHOP locations operated by Suncakes in North Carolina, serving as a reminder that religious discrimination has no place in the workplace. This case follows a significant June 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision that favored a Christian postal worker who was disciplined for refusing to work on Sundays, further solidifying the importance of religious accommodations in the workplace.