A former senior operations manager at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in suburban Philadelphia has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging she endured nearly two years of relentless racist and homophobic harassment from the franchise owner, who she claims refused to hire "ghetto Black" employees.
Allegations of Systematic Discrimination
According to court documents reviewed by The Independent, Tiffany Lynch, 38, worked as executive director for operations at Chick-fil-A Wayne Square in Wayne, Pennsylvania from December 2023 until her termination in November 2025. Lynch, who is Black and gay, reported directly to franchise owner-operator Joshua Grimm, described in the complaint as a "Caucasian male."
Daily Racist Commentary
The lawsuit alleges Grimm made racist comments "on a daily basis" whenever he encountered Lynch. Among the most disturbing allegations are claims that Grimm regularly used the "N-word" in Lynch's presence, including recounting stories about his all-white upbringing where he would say "what's up my [N-word]" when meeting Black people for the first time.
According to the complaint, Grimm made numerous derogatory insinuations about Black people, suggesting they "smell," that they "require extra cleanup," that they "are going to be cheap," and making comments about food stereotypes. The lawsuit states these comments extended even to "clean, professional-looking, or well-to-do Black clientele," demonstrating what Lynch describes as "clear racism."
Discriminatory Hiring Practices
The complaint details systematic discrimination in hiring practices at the Wayne Square location. Lynch alleges that whenever she attempted to hire Black employees, Grimm would question her judgment and attempt to "discourage certain hires" by asking if potential candidates were "Nasir Black" – referring to a former well-spoken professional Black employee – or if they were "ghetto Black."
"There were no concerns whatsoever with hiring a non-Black person who was from the inner city or who used slang," the complaint states. "Yet, there was constant pushback if a Black employee was considered for hiring."
Homophobic Remarks and Retaliation
In addition to the racial discrimination allegations, Lynch claims Grimm made repeated homophobic comments directed at her. According to the lawsuit, Grimm would regularly ask Lynch to retrieve items from a storage closet while making snide remarks that she "might not come back 'out of the closet,' or that he did not want [Lynch] to have to come out of the closet again."
When Lynch objected to Grimm's discriminatory practices and language, the complaint alleges her protests only encouraged him to continue behaving "in a completely entitled and immature manner, constantly being unprofessional." The situation was further complicated by Grimm's sister serving as the HR manager at the location, which Lynch claims prevented meaningful investigation of her formal complaints.
Termination and Corporate Response
In November 2025, while Lynch was on a planned five-day vacation, Grimm allegedly removed her from the work schedule without warning and cut off her access to company email. Lynch then contacted Chick-fil-A corporate headquarters about the "history of discrimination and retaliation" but reportedly received a response stating they were "unable to help."
The following day, Grimm terminated Lynch for what he described as "subpar performance," which the lawsuit characterizes as "false and pretextual." Lynch believes her race was "the motivating or determinative factor" in her termination.
Broader Context and Company Response
Chick-fil-A, which operates according to "biblical principles" according to chairman Dan T. Cathy, has faced similar accusations of racism in the past. In May 2025, a Black employee at a Chick-fil-A franchise in Idaho sued over claims he endured more than six months of racist abuse from coworkers who allegedly called him racial slurs and threatened to cage him like an animal.
Grimm, a Pittsburgh native who worked for Chick-fil-A as a teenager before returning as a franchisee after a civil engineering career, has not responded to requests for comment. A Chick-fil-A spokesperson also did not respond to inquiries about the lawsuit.
Legal Action and Demands
Lynch is suing JLL Hospitality LLC, which owns Chick-fil-A Wayne Square, and Grimm individually. She is seeking:
- A court order forcing Chick-fil-A to implement an effective anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation policy
- Back pay, front pay, bonuses, and other employment benefits
- Compensatory and punitive damages to be determined by a jury
The defendants have until March 31 to file a formal response to the allegations in the Philadelphia federal court where the case was filed on February 2.
