In-N-Out Sued For Religious Discrimination After Christian Cook Is Fired Over Sunday Shifts

Arianna Rodriguez, a former In-N-Out cook in Long Beach, California, is suing the fast-food chain for alleged religious discrimination after claiming a new manager turned her Sunday church attendance into a workplace dispute before she was fired on 3 July.

Rodriguez had worked at the restaurant for nearly five years and, according to the lawsuit, had previously followed a schedule that allowed her to attend church on Sundays without difficulty. She alleges that arrangement changed after a new manager arrived in October, when her Sunday availability became a 'recurring source of workplace conflict.'

In-N-Out Religious Discrimination Claim Centres on Sundays

Rodriguez says the scheduling dispute was followed by her first disciplinary write-up. She claims she raised concerns with senior management in December, discussing her church attendance, availability and what she viewed as unfair treatment.

According to the lawsuit, those complaints were not properly addressed. The available reporting does not include a response from In-N-Out specifically addressing Rodriguez's account, and the company's position on the allegations remains unclear. The dispute later moved beyond the rota.

On 24 June, Rodriguez alleges that an incident involving food led to an investigation by human resources. She believed the conduct amounted to food waste, based on practices she says she had previously observed at the restaurant.

The precise circumstances remain unclear. The lawsuit reportedly does not detail exactly what happened to the food or which workplace policy was allegedly breached. Rodriguez claims, however, that other employees had engaged in similar conduct and received warnings rather than suspension or dismissal.

She was suspended while In-N-Out investigated the matter, according to the lawsuit. Rodriguez says she then complained to HR about what she considered unequal treatment.

Nine days later, she claims the company fired her for an alleged policy violation. The timing is central to her case because she argues that her complaints about Sunday scheduling and alleged unequal treatment formed part of a broader pattern that ended in her dismissal.

Those allegations have not been established in court. The lawsuit presents Rodriguez's account, and In-N-Out would have an opportunity to dispute the claims through the legal process.

Former In-N-Out Cook Seeks Damages and Reinstatement

Rodriguez is suing In-N-Out for religious discrimination, wrongful termination and other claims. She is seeking unspecified damages, unpaid wages and reinstatement to her former job, according to the lawsuit.

The case places an apparently ordinary workplace disagreement over Sunday availability alongside Rodriguez's more serious allegation that her religious practices contributed to unfair treatment at work.

Whether the scheduling conflict was connected to the eventual dismissal could depend on evidence including employment records, internal complaints, disciplinary documents and the company's explanation for its decision.

It may also turn on what happened during the food-related incident. At present, the available reporting provides limited details about that part of the dispute. There is no clear account in the material available for this report of what Rodriguez did, what policy In-N-Out believed she had violated or the circumstances behind her allegation that other workers were treated less harshly.

In-N-Out could argue that any disciplinary action was based on workplace policy rather than Rodriguez's religious beliefs. Rodriguez, by contrast, alleges that the stated policy reason did not fairly explain what happened to her, particularly after she had complained about her schedule and alleged unequal treatment.

The case is therefore not simply about whether Rodriguez was asked to work Sundays. It is about the sequence of events she describes, from a long-standing arrangement that allegedly changed under new management to a disciplinary warning, internal complaints, suspension and dismissal.

In-N-Out has not publicly answered the allegations in the material available for this report. The California Post said it had reached out to the company for comment, but no response was included.

The allegations remain unproven, and the available account largely reflects claims made in Rodriguez's lawsuit. For Rodriguez, however, the dispute has already moved from a restaurant schedule to legal proceedings that could examine whether her treatment and eventual dismissal were connected to her religious practices and complaints.