A spokeswoman for Sweetgreen spoke back to the grievance with a commentary to The Washington Post: “At Sweetgreen, we are committed to diversity as well as a safe and inclusive workplace. We take these accusations seriously and do not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination, or unsafe working conditions. We are unable to comment further on any pending legal matters.”
Co-founders Nicolas Jammet, Nathaniel Ru and Jonathan Neman — then a trio of younger graduates from Georgetown University — opened their first location in 2007 in a former burger store within the Georgetown community. It was once their try to supply a substitute for the junk meals and quick meals that ruled at the time. Their idea, taken with freshly made salads with native produce, would pass directly to turn into the darling of the fast-casual business, spawning dozens of places across the nation, together with shops in California, Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Wisconsin, Florida, Illinois and different states.
Sweetgreen, which is primarily based in Los Angeles, went public in November 2021, elevating $364 million in its preliminary public providing. In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” at the time of the IPO, Neman mentioned that “over time, we want to build a massive, global, iconic food brand. We like to say we want to build the McDonald’s of our generation.”
The corporate has had different controversies through the years. During the pandemic, Neman wrote a RelatedIn post, suggesting that weight problems is the “root cause” of American well being issues, together with coronavirus infections. He steered outlawing junk meals.
“[Seventy-eight percent] of hospitalizations due to COVID are Obese and Overweight people. Is there an underlying problem that perhaps we have not given enough attention to?” he wrote within the post, which he later took down.
Thursday’s lawsuit alleges that a number of Sweetgreen retail outlets in New York — the grievance targeted most commonly on 3: retail outlets in Midtown East, the Financial District and the Meatpacking District — have been discriminating towards and harassing Black workers. The swimsuit comprises a lot of allegations through which Hispanic managers and workers used racial slurs and stereotypes to demean Black workers or even consumers. Among the slurs alleged are “monkeys,” “bums,” “lazy,” “gorilla” and the common use of the n-word.
“For example,” the lawsuit alleges about Hispanic workers in a Sweetgreen retailer within the Meatpacking District, “they would say about a Black employee, ‘This monkey don’t know how to toss the salad correctly.’”
Another plaintiff, who labored in a store within the Financial District, claims she overheard a Hispanic supervisor and two workers, who have been speaking about alternatives for promotion at Sweetgreen: “These [n-word] think they’re going to move up. They’re not.”
A special plaintiff, who additionally labored at the store within the Financial District, alleges that he was once having a heated dialogue with an worker when a Hispanic employee approached and allegedly mentioned, “Someday somebody is going to f— you up, because you need to get f—– up.” When the plaintiff attempted to whinge to his Hispanic supervisor, the executive allegedly mentioned, “Nobody’s perfect.”
Another plaintiff who labored within the Meatpacking District store allegedly overheard a Hispanic worker berate a Black co-worker, calling him a “stupid little black boy” in Spanish.
The plaintiffs additionally alleged they have been subjected to double requirements: Black workers, they declare, could be written up for problems that Hispanic workers were given away with, akin to now not dressed in title tags or for calling out ill although they adopted corporate protocols. One plaintiff at the store within the Meatpacking District claims managers allowed Hispanic workers to devour and calm down whilst at the clock however now not Black workers.
Black workers alleged they might infrequently attempt to whinge to control or human sources however would have their considerations brushed apart or disregarded. They declare Hispanic workers who used racial slurs and insulting language would now not be disciplined. Sometimes, the Black workers allege, their Hispanic opposite numbers would as a substitute be promoted over them or given preferential shifts. A plaintiff from the Financial District store, who was once now not promoted as allegedly promised, accuses their supervisor of claiming, “Hispanic people work harder than Black people.”
The lawsuit additionally alleges the overall managers at the Midtown East and Financial District eating places fostered a sexually charged administrative center through which some feminine workers didn’t really feel relaxed. The managers would make irrelevant feedback or contact feminine workers inappropriately, consistent with the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs on this case are represented by means of Arenson, Dittmar & Karban, an employment litigation company that makes a speciality of discrimination and harassment within the administrative center. One of the company’s largest instances was once a salary robbery lawsuit through which greater than 100 car-wash workers ultimately cut up $8.5 million, a determine that the New York Times called a “spectacular sum for a wage theft case.”
In its newest financial statement, Sweetgreen reported overall earnings of $152.5 million for the second one quarter of fiscal 12 months 2o23, a 22 % building up over the similar length in 2022. The corporate additionally posted a internet loss for the quarter of $27.3 million.