- Sweetgreen faces a lawsuit in New York for racial discrimination.
- The lawsuit alleges that black workers at seven Sweetgreen restaurants were subjected to racist comments and passed over for promotions.
- Plaintiffs allege that complaints to the authority chain’s upper management were ignored for years.
Workers prepare apples and avocados inside a Sweetgreen Inc. restaurant.
Adam Glanzman | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Ten Sweetgreen employees have filed a lawsuit against the salad chain, alleging racial discrimination at seven of its New York City restaurants.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in New York Supreme Court in the Bronx, alleges that the plaintiffs’ colleagues and managers subjected them to daily use of the N-word and other racist comments.
The complaint also alleges that managers failed to hire or promote qualified black employees and gave preferential treatment to Hispanic workers. Prosecutors allege that store managers said Hispanics worked harder than African Americans and called black employees lazy.
Plaintiffs also allege that complaints to upper management, including Sweetgreen’s human resources department, were ignored for years.
The lawsuit alleges that managers sexually harassed female workers, made sexual comments and touched them inappropriately.
The plaintiffs are seeking monetary and punitive damages and the payment of attorney’s fees.
The lawsuit was originally filed in March with only two plaintiffs. Thursday’s amended complaint includes eight new plaintiffs and adds more restaurants.
The seven Manhattan locations mentioned in the lawsuit include restaurants in the Meatpacking District, the Financial District, Greenwich Village, Midtown East, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side.
Corporations are liable for the discriminatory conduct of their directors under New York City law. Sweetgreen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
The lawsuit also names two of Sweetgreen’s “head coaches” or general managers as defendants.
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