Arriana Rodriguez worked at the burger chain’s Long Beach, Calif. location
Credit: Moment Editorial/Getty Stock Images
NEED TO KNOW
- A former In-N-Out employee alleges that she was retaliated against and wrongfully fired from the company over a revoked religious accommodation
- Rodriguez claimed in a complaint that she had been given Sundays off to attend church services, an accommodation that she says was revoked in 2025
- Rodriguez alleges she faced retaliation, a hostile work environment and wrongful termination after raising concerns about being scheduled to work Sundays
A former In-N-Out employee alleges religious discrimination from the company after she claimed new management repeatedly scheduled her to work on Sundays after she previously had the day off to attend church services.
In the civil complaint filed by Arianna Rodriguez in Los Angeles County Superior Court, she alleges that the discrimination began in October 2025, four years after she started working as a cook at the burger chain’s Long Beach, Calif., location on East Carson Street in August 2021.
TMZ was first to report news of the lawsuit.
The filing, obtained by PEOPLE, claims that Rodriguez is Christian and “attended church on Sundays as part of her religious observance,” leading her to request Sundays off. Rodriguez claims the accommodation was granted and later revoked when a new manager began working at the store in 2025.
Upon the change in management, Rodriguez alleges that she “experienced a material change” in the way she was treated at work. She claims she was written up after the new manager learned of her religious affiliation, and that her request for Sundays off to attend religious services became “a recurring source of workplace conflict,” per the complaint.
Credit: Moment Editorial/Getty Stock Images
The situation further escalated on June 24, when she was allegedly suspended for handling food that she believed to be waste. Following an internal investigation, Rodriguez claims she was fired on July 3, according to the filing.
Rodriguez is claiming that In-N-Out discriminated against her based on her religion, failed to provide religious accommodations, that she was retaliated against for being a “whistleblower” and engaging in “protected activity.”
She also claims that In-N-Out engaged in wrongful termination, failure to pay final wages, failure to provide itemized wage statements, failure to maintain required payroll and employment records, and unfair business practices.
The complaint alleges that Rodriguez “suffered and continues to suffer substantial damages, in an amount to be proven at trial.”
In-N-Out CEO Lynsi Snyder has previously been outspoken about her personal Christian beliefs. In 2019, Snyder, 44, spoke with the Christian Post about her Christian upbringing.
“My grandparents set the bar high and I only try to raise it,” she told the outlet at the time, adding that she wanted to “maintain what we’ve started with: Not compromising the quality of product, service, or standards.”
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At the time, she also spoke on the Bible verses that are printed on the cups and other packaging used at the burger chain.
“It was my uncle Rich who put the Bible verses on the cups and wrappers in the early ‘90s, just before he passed away,” she told the outlet. “He had just accepted the Lord and wanted to put that little touch of his faith on our brand. It’s a family business and will always be, and that’s a family touch. In later years, I added verses to the fry boat, coffee, and hot cocoa cups.”
The chain’s soda cups, fry boats, and coffee cups are printed with “John 3:16,” “Proverbs 24:16,” and Luke “6:35,” respectively.
PEOPLE has reached out to an attorney for Rodriguez and a spokesperson for In-N-Out.
Read the full article here
