Beloved restaurant chain with over 300 location closes last store in key state – employees said it got ‘worse and worse’

A well-known restaurant chain has permanently closed its last location after employees complained about working conditions in the workplace.

Boston Market, known for its rotisserie dishes, has closed its last location in Toledo, Ohio.

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While the casual restaurant chain didn’t give a reason for this, the location’s former general manager criticized the company for sometimes paying employees up to three weeks late.

“During my entire stay, we were not paid on time,” Jeremy Dukeshire told local news outlet WTOL.

“There were a lot of promises that it would get better with every paycheck, and it would get worse and worse, and then when we got it, we were short of money.”

But it gets worse.

Dukeshire said the company even stopped paying for dumpster services.

That was enough to make employees sick – which, according to the former manager, led to moldy and spoiled food.

Additionally, Dukeshire said he and other managers at other local Boston Market stores were forced to pick up groceries in unrefrigerated U-Hauls to save the company money.

MAJOR PROBLEM

However, this appears to be just one example of Boston Market’s problems across the country.

After complaints from employees, the chain was ordered to close 27 locations in New Jersey.

The workers alleged that Boston Market failed to pay minimum wage and sick leave and failed to maintain records of earned sick leave.

The company was also fined more than $2.5 million for back wages, liquidated damages and administrative damages.

Additionally, US Foods has filed a lawsuit against Boston Markets, according to WTOL.

The food delivery company claims the company owes more than $11.6 million in unpaid bills.

Boston Markets has more than 300 locations across the United States

The US Sun has reached out to Boston Market for comment.

MORE CLOSURES

In addition to Boston Market, other restaurant chains have also closed – but perhaps not for the same reason.

Some have not been able to recover from the slowdown caused by the pandemic.

For one thing, TGI Fridays closed its last remaining location in Idaho.

The move by TGI Friday’s comes after the company struggled with declining sales in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Then-CEO Ray Blanchette warned in a Bloomberg interview that 20 percent of the 386 restaurants would likely have to close.

Fatz Café, known for its presence in the Southeast, has closed all remaining restaurants.

“We are sorry to inform you that after years of proudly serving this and many other communities, Fatz Café is permanently closing,” the former casual dining restaurant said in a statement to customers.

“All existing locations were closed effective August 23, 2023. We thank you for your support throughout our many years of business.”

Fatz previously operated nearly 20 locations in states including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

And Cracker Barrell recently closed several locations.

That includes one in Jackson, Mississippi and four locations in Oregon in recent months.

“It is not uncommon for a store’s traffic patterns and volume to change over time, and we have seen this happen in Jackson following the pandemic,” the restaurant chain said in a statement to The US Sun.

“Despite the best efforts of our associates, our Jackson store was unable to overcome these and other challenges.”

More related stories: Burger King abruptly closed a store.

And here is the full list of retailers that have filed for bankruptcy.