OCALA, Fla. — A Marion County man said he was discriminated against and eventually fired from an Ocala Denny’s because he wears a kufi, a religious prayer hat worn by men who practice Islam.
Marlondejuan Guy said he’s never been written up for anything and believes his faith got him fired.
Raw: Man says he was fired from Denny's over religious attire
He said he only worked the day shift for a few days before they moved him to nights because of the religious cap he wears on his head.
Guy said he stood up for his religion and was eventually fired from his job as a server at a Denny’s in Ocala. He started working there in August 2014, but soon after, he was moved from days to nights.
“I was heartbroken from it. Going from seeing 50 to 60 customers a day, to six or seven tables a night,” he said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations Florida, or CAIR, an organization that’s fights for religious rights, and Guy’s attorney, Michael Hanna, with Morgan and Morgan, said Guy received a letter written by management about his religious attire.
The letter, dated September 2014, said Guy’s “religious head covering is against the Denny’s uniform dress code” and that if the cap wasn’t removed, his employment would be terminated.
“I’m proud to say I’m a Muslim. This shows society that this is me, as a Muslim,” he said.
A day after he got the letter, he filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint stating he felt discriminated and harassed because of his religious beliefs.
Guy said he needed that job for his 2-year-old daughter and pregnant wife.
The owner of the Denny’s franchise said in a statement, “The allegations made by Mr. Guy do not contain all the facts and do not reflect the real reason for termination. We are confident that in a legal proceeding we will be cleared of any discrimination.”
Guy’s attorney said they eventually plan on filing a federal lawsuit.
A statement from Denny’s corporate office said the company doesn’t tolerate actions of discriminations and are reviewing the allegations.
Full Statements: "At Denny's, we value our diverse employee base and are committed to treating all team members with dignity and respect. While we have policies regarding uniforms, we certainly have a process for deviation from uniform standards, including religious accommodation requests. We do not tolerate actions of discrimination and we take any finding to the contrary very seriously. While the Ocala restaurant is franchise owned, we are reviewing the allegations"
- Denny’s Corporate
"As a Denny’s franchisee, we fully support the company policy and our policies which prohibits discrimination against any guest or employee on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation or age. We do follow the brand standards regarding restaurant uniforms and uniform accommodation requests. The allegations made by Mr. Guy do not contain all the facts and do not reflect the real reason for termination. We are confident that in a legal proceeding we will be cleared of any discrimination. "
- EYM Diner LLC, the franchise owner of the Ocala location
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