FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. — Former employees of Anna's House have filed a discrimination lawsuit against the breakfast chain Friday.
According to a press release from the Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), two employees are alleging they were terminated because of their race, religion and for opposing the company's discriminatory employment practices.
The employees, a Hispanic former manager and a Senegalese Muslim former kitchen manager, were two of a number of other minority management staff terminated around the same time in 2019 without warning or explanation, the press release said.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the employees were fired from the Westland location despite receiving positive reviews and performance feedback.
"The former managers strongly resisted the owner’s discriminatory employment practices and assert they were terminated for opposing these unlawful working conditions and because of their ethnicity and religion which did not make them a 'good fit' for the 'culture' that the owner of Anna’s House was trying to create," a statement from CAIR-MI read.
"Through social media postings and other statements, the owner of Anna’s House has taken a public stance which echoes the racial, xenophobic and Islamophobic biases which are at the heart of these unlawful employment practices," the statement said.
13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to Anna's House for a statement regarding the lawsuit and was provided the following:
“Anna’s House is aware of the lawsuit filed today. We have retained counsel and will defend against these claims in Court. Anna’s House has and continues to be a place that employs and serves people of all backgrounds and beliefs.”
There will be a joint press conference at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 31 at the CAIR-MI Farmington Hills Office in Farmington Hills.
Anna's House is owned and operated by Josh Beckett. The chain is based in Grand Rapids. There are eight locations in Michigan. Anna's House focuses on serving all-natural and healthy breakfast options.
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