Epiq Food Hall To Pay $54K In Racial Harassment Suit

WOODBRIDGE, VA — The now-closed Epiq Food Hall in Woodbridge has agreed to pay $54,000 to settle a federal racial harassment lawsuit that said a Black general manager was the target of derogatory comments.

The settlement was announced Thursday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The food hall operated at 14067 Noblewood Plaza.

According to the EEOC’s suit, Epiq’s general manager, who is Black, faced racial harassment from the company’s owner, who frequently made derogatory comments about Black customers and employees, calling them “ignorant,” “ghetto,” and “riff-raff.”

The owner also told the general manager that he “look[ed] like [he] spoke thug language” and referred to him using the N-word, the EEOC said.

Tired of the owner’s harassment and without any avenue to file a report, the general manager resigned in January 2023 after six months of employment, the EEOC said in a statement.

“Employees should not be forced to tolerate racial slurs and degrading harassment from their boss to earn a living,” Debra Lawrence, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office, said in a statement. “Federal law holds employers automatically liable for the harassing conduct of their owners.”

This type of conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Epiq Food Hall Woodbridge, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 1:24-cv-01518) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia after first attempting to reach a prelitigation settlement through its conciliation process.

EEOC Washington Field Office Director Mindy E. Weinstein said, “Unfortunately, harassment remains all too common in the restaurant industry. This litigation and its resolution demonstrate the EEOC’s steadfast commitment to enforcing the law and protecting the rights of workers in that sector.”

The three-year consent decree settling the suit pays $54,000 to the former general manager. According to the settlement, Epiq no longer has any operating businesses or employees.

In addition to the payment, the decree says that if Epiq resumes business operations, it shall be enjoined from creating or maintaining a hostile work environment on the basis of race; create and distribute an anti-harassment policy, and provide Title VII training to its owners and management.

The EEOC’s suit also brought claims against 4 Brothers Properties, LLC, which purchased the food hall in October 2023. The consent decree does not settle the claims against 4 Brothers Properties, LLC.