A North Carolina restaurant dropped its discount for “praying in public” after an atheist group informed the establishment that such a practice is illegal.
In July, two customers received a discount for praying before their meal at Mary’s Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem, N.C., and they posted a picture of their receipt on Facebook, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
After the receipt gained attention on Facebook and in the news, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the restaurant notifying the owners that such a discount was illegal.
On Wednesday, the diner posted a notice informing customers that they would no longer be offering the discount, noting that they had been threatened with a lawsuit.
I’m hearing from a lot of you about this prayer discount ending – keep your thoughts coming! @WFMY pic.twitter.com/ZoOrUDpUbu
— Morgan Hightower (@mchightower) August 6, 2014
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation told the Winston-Salem Journal that the group did not threaten to sue the restaurant, but informed the establishment that they had won cases in similar instances.
One of the co-owners of the restaurant, Mary Haglund, told the Winston-Salem Journal that the discount was a “bad choice of words,” and that it was intended to show appreciation for people with “an attitude of gratitude.”
