More than two dozen Boston Market locations in New Jersey are now closed after being shut down by the state.
A stop work order was issued this week, impacting 27 of the chain's stores throughout the state. But the shutdown had nothing to do with health violations — the locations had simply failed to pay their workers, according to the New Jersey Department of Labor.
The state claims that the restaurants owe more than $600,000 in back pay to hundreds of workers. Boston Market was accused by the Labor Department of failing to pay minimum wage and provide sick leave to more than 300 employees.
The franchise was also slapped with nearly $2.6 million in penalties. The move by the state's labor commissioner was meant to reinforce minimum wage rules and remind employers that workers are entitled to 40 hours of sick leave over the course of a year.
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"Anytime you have a situation where an employer — whether it be a small mom and pop on Main Street or a huge corporate behemoth on Wall Street — they need to pay their workers what they’re due," said NJ Department of Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo.
The locations impacted by the closings stretch from Hackensack, Lodi and Mahwah, to Mount Holly and Vineland.
It's not totally uncharted territory for Boston Market. The chain has been struggling, facing lawsuits across the country for millions of dollars in unpaid bills, and it has closed hundreds of locations over the past several years.
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"If you’re not doing the right thing by workers, not only are you hurting those workers and their families, you’re having an undue, unfair and illegal advantage against your competition," said Asaro-Angelo.
Boston Market does have the right to an appeal and a hearing, which will take place Aug. 23. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
