Coffee Chain Settles Suit Over Fired Muslim Employee's Ramadan Request
Hungry Ghost Coffee, a cafe chain in New York City, agreed to pay $22,500 to settle a lawsuit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought on behalf of a Muslim barista. The agency said the employee, who fasts during Ramadan, asked his manager in March 2023 for a short term daytime schedule or a voluntary shift swap so he could observe the fast. His manager refused the request and later fired him. The EEOC filed suit in federal court in Manhattan on September 29 after efforts to resolve the matter beforehand failed, and the parties settled about a week later.
Under a two year consent decree, Hungry Ghost must review its religious accommodation policies and train employees and managers across all its locations on Title VII's protections against religious discrimination. The settlement makes no finding that the company broke the law. An EEOC spokesperson said the agency remains committed to enforcing those protections for workers of every faith.
