Dunkin' Donuts franchisee loses store in pork battle
April 1, 2009
The Chicago Tribune: An Arab-American owner of a Chicago-area Dunkin' Donuts has to give up his franchise after he lost a long-running legal battle with the chain over his religious objections to selling pork products. The dietary restrictions of Walid Elkhatib's Muslim faith forbid him from eating or handling pork.
When he first invested in Dunkin' Donuts in 1979, the chain did offer breakfast sandwiches. From 1984 to 2002, Dunkin' Donuts accommodated his religious beliefs, but in 2002, the company told him it would not renew his franchise agreement if he did not sell its full line of products. Elkhatib sued the company and although his franchise agreement expired in April 2008, Dunkin' Donuts allowed him to keep operating the store until the end of the trial, which ended March 13 in favor of Dunkin' Donuts. Click to continue