In-N-Out Discrimination Suit Claims Burger Chain Hires Few Blacks, People Over 40

Two black men from California filed a discrimination suit against In-N-Out Burger, alleging the restaurant chain refused to hire them because of their race and age.

The discrimination suit, filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court, alleges that In-N-Out Burger engages in "a pervasive policy of discrimination on the basis of race, color and age" in its hiring processes, according to the Oakland Tribune.

The suit, filed by two black men from Oakland over the age of 40, goes on to claim that In-N-Out Burger "recruits, hires and maintains a workforce that is predominantly under the age of 40 and/or non-African-American," the Tribune reported.

The men who filed the suit claimed they were qualified for the jobs they applied to at In-N-Out Burgers in Oakland and San Francisco but the chain did not hire them.

In-N-Out denies the lawsuit's claims.

"In-N-Out Burger does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race or age in our hiring policies or practices," Arnie Wensinger, In-N-Out Burger's vice president and general counsel, told the Oakland Tribune. "We hire from our local communities and our restaurants reflect the demographics of that community. The company will aggressively defend itself against these baseless and irresponsible allegations."

In-N-Out Burger has 281 locations, mainly in California, according to the chain's website.

The discrimination suit claims the companies has "very few" employees who are either over 40, African American, or both.

In-N-Out Burger was established in 1948 in Baldwin, Calif., near Los Angeles, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

The chain opened its first non-California restaurant in 1992, branching out into Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Texas.

Like the now controversial Chick-fil-A, the owners of In-N-Out are devout Christians and have Bible quotes on wrappers and drink cups, the Christian Science Monitor reported.

For instance, the paper said, cups of In-N-Out milkshakes contain the quote from Psalms, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."