Within the walls of Sweetgreen Inc. restaurants, workers are busy preparing apples and avocados for customers.
Adam Glanzman | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A total of ten individuals who were employed by Sweetgreen have filed a lawsuit against the salad chain, accusing it of engaging in racial discrimination at seven of its locations in New York City.
The complaint was officially submitted on Thursday in the Bronx Supreme Court in New York. According to the plaintiffs, their co-workers and managers subjected them to repeated use of racial slurs, including the N-word, and other racist remarks on a daily basis.
In addition, the lawsuit claims that qualified Black employees were not hired or promoted, while Hispanic workers received preferential treatment. Store managers reportedly made statements claiming that Hispanics work harder than African Americans and referred to Black employees as lazy.
According to the plaintiffs, their complaints to upper management, including Sweetgreen’s human resources department, fell on deaf ears for several years.
The lawsuit also alleges that female employees were subjected to sexual harassment by managers, who made inappropriate comments and engaged in physical contact.
The plaintiffs are seeking financial compensation, punitive damages, and coverage of legal fees.
The initial lawsuit, filed in March with two plaintiffs, has been amended to include eight additional plaintiffs and expand the list of restaurants involved in the allegations.
The lawsuit specifically names seven Sweetgreen locations in Manhattan, including those in the Meatpacking District, the Financial District, Greenwich Village, Midtown East, the Upper East Side, and the Upper West Side.
Under New York City law, companies are held responsible for the discriminatory behavior of their managers. CNBC reached out to Sweetgreen for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
The two “head coaches” of Sweetgreen, who are the general managers of the implicated restaurants, are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
