EEOC Sues California Restaurant Chain Preferred Hiring Females Over Males

Burgers & Beer, a chain of Southern California restaurants, violated federal law when it denied males with the same employment opportunities as their female counterparts, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced in lawsuit filed today.

The EEOC contends that since at least 2015, male applicants and employees were disqualified from server positions based on sex. The company routinely rejected male applicants for those positions and maintained a server workforce that was over 90 percent female, the EEOC charged.

Such action violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California after first attempting to reach a settlement.

The EEOC is seeking injunctive relief to prohibit Burgers & Beer from engaging in discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as compensatory and punitive damages for the victims.

According to its website, the company has six casual dining locations, specializing in high-quality burgers, throughout California’s Imperial Valley.