A woman in South Carolina blasted a restaurant chain and accused them of religious discrimination. It appears that, during the hiring process, she told them she didn’t wear pants, which was initially a dealbreaker. Then, despite the ad asking for weekday availability, they asked her to work Sundays in a follow-up interview.
The incident was reported by TikTok user Amariah Watkins. She said she had gone through First Watch’s interview process, and she was “ticked off.” Amariah revealed that the initial interview went really great and believed that she had “the job in the bag.”
While she and the “younger manager” were “vibing,” Amariah was asked if she had any questions before ending the interview. That’s when things turned for the worse, as she asked for the restaurant’s dress code policies. Amariah, saying that she believes in modesty and without shaming other people’s dressing preferences, stated that she doesn’t wear pants, but skirts.
“The look on this woman’s face dropped so severely,” Amariah added. “I felt instantly uncomfortable because they were looking at me like they were disgusted, and their tone switched to be disgusted.”
The woman, with a blank face according to Amariah, just straight up said, “No, you have to wear pants.” Despite Amariah explaining that she never had any issues with wearing skirts in past jobs, the manager put her foot down. The TikToker asked her to check with the higher-ups, and believed she was never going to get a callback.
Second Interview, Availability, Reactions
She, however, received a call from First Watch days later, at 6 p.m., when the South Carolina chain is not even open, according to Amariah. During her second interview, another manager praised her personality and said that they wanted to hire her, but she was told she had to work on Sundays.
“I understand you have church, but that’s the availability I’m looking for,” the manager said, according to Amariah.
Amariah wasn’t having any of it, as the job ad in Indeed specified that the restaurant needed “weekday availability” and she had specifically gone over her availability with the previous manager. To her, this was a way for First Watch to cover its tracks and avoid a lawsuit.
While some questioned Amariah and her values, saying that pants can be modest, most of the comments supported her, with some even encouraging her to sue First Watch for their alleged discrimination.
“Sue…. They can’t force you to wear pants. Even nurses wear skirts!” one user commented. Another one wrote, “I feel like this is definitely considered discrimination.” A third one added, “I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”
First Watch has not responded to the allegations. People, however, have flooded their comment section, especially on TikTok, blasting them for the skirt controversy.
