Restaurant chain P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. has agreed to give thousands of dollars to a job applicant who was not hired last year.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), an investigation began in August 2024 after a man interviewed for a position at P.F. Chang’s in Birmingham, Alabama.
The candidate informed EEOC investigators that he asked for Sundays off during the interview process due to his religious convictions.
According to WJW, the EEOC concluded from its investigation that the applicant’s request was the reason P.F. Chang’s did not hire the candidate.
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This violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC said, “which prohibits discrimination because of an individual’s religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious observance or practice unless doing so would cause undue hardship.”
The EEOC reported on September 15 that P.F. Chang’s had consented to pay the applicant $80,000 to settle the case.
In addition, the company promised to train employees, managers, supervisors, and human resource officials in Birmingham about equal opportunity rights.
“We commend P.F. Chang’s for their commitment to ensuring that their restaurants make reasonable efforts to accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs,” said Bradley Anderson, director of the EEOC’s Birmingham District Office, in a press release.
“This case should serve as a reminder for employers to train supervisors and representatives to recognize requests for religious accommodations. 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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