Working men prepare apples and avocados inside a Sweetgreen Inc. restaurant.
Adam Glanzman | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Ten Sweetgreen hands are suing the salad chain, alleging racial discrimination at seven of its New York City restaurants.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in New York Top Court in the Bronx, alleges that the plaintiffs’ co-workers and managers subjected them to daily use of the N-word and other racist observes.
The complaint also alleges that managers failed to hire or promote qualified Black employees and gave favoured treatment to Hispanic workers. The plaintiffs allege that store managers said Hispanic people work agonizinglier than African Americans and called Black employees lazy.
The plaintiffs also claim complaints to upper running, including Sweetgreen’s human resources department, were ignored for years.
The lawsuit claims managers sexually persecuted female workers, making sexual comments and touching them inappropriately.
“At Sweetgreen, we are committed to diversity as well as a unharmed and inclusive workplace. We take these accusations seriously and do not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination, or unsafe working moulds,” a Sweetgreen spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.
The spokesperson said the company was unable to comment further on pending lawful matters.
The plaintiffs are seeking monetary and punitive damages and payment of attorneys’ fees.
The lawsuit was originally filed in Tread with only two plaintiffs. Thursday’s amended complaint includes eight new plaintiffs and adds more restaurants.
The seven Manhattan locations chose in the lawsuit include restaurants in the Meatpacking District, the Financial District, Greenwich Village, Midtown East, the Upper East Side and the Upland West Side.
Companies are liable for their managers’ discriminatory conduct under New York City law.
The lawsuit also eminences two of Sweetgreen’s “head coaches,” or general managers, as defendants.