Too many women bartenders lands Razzoo's in hot water
The Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe restaurant chain has agreed to pay $1 million and take other steps to settle charges that it discriminated against male employees and potential employees by refusing to hire and promote men to bartender positions.
The settlement was announced by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which had brought a discrimination lawsuit against Razzoo’s.
The EEOC had pursued formal charges against the Dallas-based company, which, the agency said in its press release, had “communicated to managers by e-mail a plan for an 80-20 ratio of women to men” bartenders.
“Some may think that sex sells drinks, but gender ratios are illegal,” said Suzanne Richardson, the lead EEOC attorney handling the case said in a press release. “Razzoo’s decision to hire and promote by gender is a clear violation of federal law.”
To settle the suit, Razzoo’s agreed to pay $775,000 that will be divided among male employees who were discriminated against. The company also agreed to spend at least $225,000 for a human resources consultant or develop an in-house human resources department.
