Wawa rival Sheetz is abandoning a “smile” policy that kept workers from being hired who had “obvious missing, broken, or badly discolored teeth,” writes Lizzy McLellan Ravitch for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The policy also required existing employees with visible dental problems to have them resolved within 90 days.

The shift came after receiving employee feedback.

“As a family-owned and operated company, nothing is more important than creating an environment that is inclusive and supportive of all of our employees,” said Stephanie Doliveira, Sheetz’s executive vice president of people and culture. “Recently through employee feedback, we have learned that the smile policy is not aligned with these values from their perspective. We agree.”

Eric Meyer, a Philadelphia employment lawyer, called the policy “unusual and problematic.”

 “Even taking into account the carve-out for people with disabilities … it could have the impact of discriminating against certain protected classes,” Meyer said. “There may be particular protected classes that have less access to a dentist.”

Sheetz is a family-owned convenience store chain based in Altoona with 669 stores, 300 in Pennsylvania, mostly toward the center of the state.

Sheetz and Wawa have both been on expansion campaigns, with Wawa now encroaching on Sheetz territory.

 Read more about the Sheetz “smile” policy in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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