ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Several Boston Market locations in Central Florida have shut down over the last few months, and on Tuesday, Channel 9 learned that money problems with the chain have led to a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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Court records show eviction filings for three different locations, including the Boston Market in Altamonte Springs, and the two Boston Market restaurants on Lake Underhill Road and South Kirkman Road in Orlando.
Those court documents allege that the Boston Market Corporation had missed rent at all three locations before the landlords filed for eviction.
Former workers say they are caught in the middle of all this, too, because they are not getting paid.
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A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor confirmed Tuesday that the Wage and Hour Division has initiated an investigation.
One single mother who worked as both a cook and cleaner at the Boston Market location in Altamonte Springs told us her last day of work was Oct. 11, but her last cashable paycheck came Sept. 15.
Damaris Di Pietro said the corporation owes her 113 hours in unpaid wages. The time spent waiting for those paychecks was stressful as the single mother struggled to keep her family afloat. She said she had to take loans from family and friends to get by.
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“It was really rough. I didn’t know how to feed my daughter; I didn’t know how to make ends meet. And if I didn’t pay my rent, they were going throw me out,” said Di Pietro.
Di Pietro said after her store was forced to close, she couldn’t reach anyone with the company to find out why she wasn’t paid. And she isn’t alone.
Lale West worked as a General Manager for Boston Market’s Boca Raton location until that store closed in August.
West said the company owes her two months’ pay, and she claims the workers under her didn’t get paid either after her store shut down.
“I had no answers to give them, and I feel sad. If I had answers to give them, I wouldn’t feel so bad, but we’re all stuck in the dark,” said West.
Channel 9 tried via phone, email and text to reach Boston Market Corporation and its owner, Jay Pandya, Tuesday but did not hear back.
Meanwhile, Di Pietro said at this point, she’s not optimistic that the pay will ever come.
“I feel that all the hours I worked were like a gift to the company,” said Di Pietro.
This isn’t the first time unpaid wages have been reported. In August, 27 Boston Market stores in New Jersey were forced to close by the New Jersey Department of Labor because the corporation owed more than $600,000 in back wages to workers.
In September, those 27 locations were allowed to reopen after the employees received all their back pay.
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