Texas Roadhouse Enters into a Consent Decree to settle EEOC Age Discrimination Lawsuit

2017-04-03

Texas Roadhouse will pay $12 million to resolve ageism lawsuit.

The EEOC filed a lawsuit seeking relief for a class of applicants who were allegedly denied front-of-the house positions, such as servers, hosts, server assistants and bartenders, due to their age, 40 years and older.  In addition to paying the $12 million, Texas Roadhouse will also change its hiring and recruiting practices.

The original suit was filed in September 2011 and resulted in a hung jury after nearly a four-week trial.  A retrial was scheduled for May 15, 2017.  The consent decree set up a claim process that will identify and compensation those affected individuals age 40 and older who applied for front-of-the house position between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2014.  The decree will be in force for 3 ½ years and also includes an injunction preventing Texas Roadhouse from discriminating on the basis of age in the future.  The company will hire a diversity director and pay for a decree compliance monitor. 

Press Release