P.F. Chang’s China Bistro has agreed to pay $80,000 to a man who said he was not hired at the chain’s Birmingham restaurant because he requested Sundays off as a religious accommodation.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the settlement Monday.
According to the EEOC’s charge investigation, the incident happened when the man interviewed at the restaurant in August 2024.
The applicant requested Sundays off because of his religious beliefs, and the investigation concluded he was not hired because of this. This would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
According to the settlement, P.F. Chang’s will provide back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and revise written policies and procedures about religious accommodations.
The restaurant also agreed to require training for its Birmingham employees, supervisors, managers and human resources workers on equal employment opportunity rights and responsibilities, with an emphasis on religious accommodations.
Bradley Anderson, director of the EEOC’s Birmingham District Office, said the case should serve as a reminder to employers to recognize requests for religious accommodations.
“We commend P.F. Chang’s for their commitment to ensuring that their restaurants make reasonable efforts to accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs,” Anderson said.
“It is important all employers understand that federal law requires reasonable religious accommodations, unless such an accommodation would pose an undue hardship substantial to the overall context of the business.”
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