Hangover Cure Challenges Beliefs, Threatens Livelihood

By Meghan Clark in Food on Aug 2, 2007 6:24PM

Imagine you’re an immigrant who has arrived in Chicago from Jerusalem.

You create your home and life in your new country. You work as bus driver and through that job, you’ve come to understand what people want. They want coffee and doughnuts. So you save your money and pledge to make the Great American Dream yours by buying a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise.

This was the dream of Walid Elkhatib, who arrived in Chicago in 1971 and bought his first Dunkin’ Donuts in 1979. He figured it was the perfect job because it allowed him to keep his Muslim belief of not touching or consuming pork. But in 1984, the Double D introduced breakfast sandwiches. For several years, the company allowed his multiple stores to remain meat free.

Then, in 2002, they changed their mind and threatened to not renew his franchise contracts. Elkhatib sued and is still fightin’ Dunkin’ in court today. The question of whether it’s racial discrimination, which is protected under civil rights law, or religious discrimination, which isn’t, has become the sticking point in this case and its numerous appeals. As we see it though, discrimination is discrimination no matter how it's legally defined.

But Chicagoist has to wonder, why should a heartburn-inducing sausage patty trump Elkhatib’s beliefs, especially if, as the owner, he is the one primarily losing out on potential breakfast sandwich profit?

Photo by author.