In the wake of a threatened lawsuit, a North Carolina restaurant is no longer offering a discount to diners who pray in public before their meal.

Mary's Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, announced by way of a note on the front door of the establishment that the 15% discount previously offered to customers who chose to pray before their meal was discontinued. According to news reports, Mary's Gourmet stated on a Facebook post that, "There's a lot of craziness going on in regard to the 15% discount. ... I will say that it is not a 'policy,' it's a gift we give random to customers who take a moment before their meal.  Who you talk to or meditate on etc. is your business."

The discontinued discount at Mary's appeared to be prompted by a letter from a Madison, Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation, which urged the restaurant to stop.  Legal experts have noted that it is fine for a business to give out random discounts.  For example, a restaurant in Los Angeles, California, gives discounts for voice impersonations.

Co-owner Mary Haglund told one media outlet that her intent had always been positive and that she never meant to offend anyone.

—Source: Newsday.com