Chick-fil-A’s hypocrisy is on full display because the company has built its public image around honoring a weekly day of rest for religious and family reasons, yet it is now accused of denying that same principle to an employee whose Sabbath falls on Saturday. On May 15, 2026, BBC News reported on the US government’s lawsuit against Chick-fil-A for religious discrimination related to the Sabbath.
The so-called “Chick-fil-A rule,” so often praised by the Heritage Foundation and other religious and political leaders, effectively sends the message that Sunday is sacred and worthy of protection, while those who observe the seventh-day Sabbath, or Saturday, are not entitled to the same respect or accommodation for their religious convictions.
BBC News reported the following:
• “The US government is suing a Chick-fil-A franchisee for allegedly denying an employee’s request to take Saturdays off work for religious reasons.” [1]
• “The lawsuit claims that Hatch Trick Inc., the franchisee, violated federal law by denying an employee’s request to refrain from work on Saturdays for religious reasons.” [1]
• “The employee was a member of the United Church of God, which observes the Sabbath on that day,’ the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said in a press release.” [1]
• “According to the EEOC, the employee requested not to be scheduled for Saturday work during her initial August 2023 job interview. Hatch Trick honored this request for a few months before eventually requiring her to work on Saturdays.” [1]
• “When she appealed to management, Hatch Trick allegedly told the employee that it was not possible for her to maintain her managerial role if she did not work on Saturdays. Instead, they told her that she had to accept a delivery driver position, which entailed lower pay, reduced benefits and hours, the EEOC said.” [1]
• “Religious discrimination in the workplace is unlawful, and employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees’ sincerely held beliefs,” EEOC San Antonio Field Office Director Norma Guzman said.” [1]
• “The Sabbath is the holy day of rest in the Christian faith, which most Christians observe on Sunday. Chick-fil-A allows its employees to observe the Sabbath by closing on Sunday, giving them time ‘to rest, enjoy time with their families and loved ones or worship if they choose,’ according to the company’s website.” [1]
Chick-fil-A has long presented itself as a company that understands the importance of Sabbath rest. But this lawsuit exposes the danger of a Sunday-centered religious culture that demands accommodation for its own day while denying the same liberty to those who keep the true biblical Sabbath. If Sunday observers deserve time to rest, worship, and be with family, then Saturday Sabbath keepers deserve the same protection. Anything less is hypocrisy and discrimination.
This case also reveals the deeper problem in a society that elevates Sunday as the official day of rest. Once Sunday is treated as the “Christian Sabbath,” those who honor the seventh-day Sabbath are often marginalized, pressured, demoted, or even punished for following their conscience. The real issue is whether we truly believe in religious liberty—or selective religious liberty. Will Chick-fil-A, or any employer, respect the conscience of those whose faith requires obedience to the Sabbath of the fourth commandment? Or will they trample on the rights of those who keep Saturday as the biblical Sabbath?
From a religious-liberty standpoint, what Chick-fil-A has done is indefensible. A company cannot preach the virtue of rest, worship, and family on Sunday while punishing an employee for seeking rest, worship, and obedience to God on Saturday. That is not religious freedom; that is religious favoritism, hypocrisy, and discrimination. True religious freedom is measured by how we protect the conscience of the minority.
Sources
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3pyke2g0jo
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I would have no problem with a private business requiring workers to work on certain days or else not be able to remain in employment. I also have no problem with a company changing their policy/position on this and shifting their needs, requiring workers to work on days that previously they were not required to work on. If an employee for religious reasons cannot meet this, then they will be happier somewhere else. No employer should be forced to keep anyone on staff for any reason.
What I cannot justify is the bait and switch tactic used on this person. Hiring them under the pretense that they will not have to work on the Sabbath and then forcing them to work on the Sabbath or face demotion is indefensible.
I deeply appreciate your calling attention to this very important matter. However, in this particular case, I believe that it is crucial to remain aware that (to the best of my knowledge) Chick-fil-A is not being named as a party in this case. Instead, (to the best of my knowledge), the legal action is limited to the franchisee, Hatch Trick, Inc.
Actually, I have heard of many Chick-fil-A locations being very sympathetic and accommodating of seventh-day Sabbath-keeping Christians who greatly value the opportunity to work there.
I am certain that you would not wish to inadvertently defame Chick-fil-A for actions regarding which they may be innocent.
Once again our Religious Liberty Department is all over it….not.
I expect nothing less from them.
And yes Chick-fil-a in many cases has been very accommodating to SDA on Sabbath. Not sure what happened here….