A former supervisor at a Chicago McDonald’s franchise has filed a lawsuit alleging racial and gender discrimination, as well as retaliation, after being terminated from his position. Quitmon Hartzol filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on November 26, 2025, against Buena Vida, LLC, which operates under the name Hale Family McDonald’s.
Hartzol’s lawsuit claims that he was subjected to unlawful race and sex discrimination during his tenure as a supervisor at one of Buena Vida’s high-volume McDonald’s locations in Chicago. The complaint alleges violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Illinois Human Rights Act. According to Hartzol, despite meeting or exceeding performance expectations throughout his employment, he was denied resources and support routinely provided to other managers who were not African American or male. Specifically, Hartzol states that when preparing for a “Running Great Restaurants” inspection—a comprehensive corporate review—he requested additional staffing and operational support but was denied these resources. In contrast, non-African American and female managers allegedly received such support.
The plaintiff asserts that after raising concerns about this unequal treatment with management, rather than addressing them, Buena Vida retaliated by terminating his employment on May 17, 2023. The stated reason for his termination was an alleged failure to prepare for the inspection; however, Hartzol contends this reason was false and pretextual. He believes his termination was motivated by racial and gender bias as well as retaliation for his complaints about discriminatory practices.
In seeking justice through the court system, Hartzol is requesting several forms of relief. These include back pay with interest for lost wages and benefits due to wrongful termination, front pay or reinstatement to his previous position if feasible, compensatory damages for emotional distress suffered due to discrimination and retaliation, punitive damages where applicable by law to deter future misconduct by the defendant company, attorney’s fees covering legal costs incurred during litigation proceedings along with any other equitable relief deemed appropriate by presiding judges.
Representing Quitmon Hartzol in this case is Robert Johnson from The Solomon Group LLC based in Chicago. The case is being overseen by Judge Charles P. Kocoras with Magistrate Judge Beth W. Jantz also involved in proceedings under Case ID: 1:25-cv-14486.
Source: 125cv14486_Quitmon_Hartzol_v_Buena_Vida_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Illinois.pdf
