A worker prepares apples and avocados inside a Sweetgreen Inc. restaurant.
Adam Glanzman Bloomberg | Getty Images
ten sweet green Employees are suing the salad chain, alleging racial discrimination at seven of its restaurants in New York City.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in New York Supreme Court in the Bronx, alleges that the plaintiffs’ co-workers and managers routinely used the N-word and other racist comments.
The complaint also alleges that management failed to hire and promote qualified black employees and gave preferential treatment to Hispanic employees. The plaintiffs allege that store managers said that Hispanics worked harder than African-Americans and called black employees lazy.
The plaintiffs also allege that their complaints to higher-ups, including Sweetgreen’s human resources department, were ignored for years.
The lawsuit alleges that managers sexually harassed female employees, including making sexual comments and inappropriate touching.
A Sweetgreen spokesperson told CNBC: “At Sweetgreen, we are not only committed to a safe and inclusive workplace, but also to diversity. We take these allegations seriously and will not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination or harm. “We will not tolerate harsh working conditions,” he said in a statement.
A spokesperson said the company could not comment further on pending legal matters.
The plaintiffs seek monetary and punitive damages as well as 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 named in the lawsuit include restaurants in the Meatpacking District, Financial District, Greenwich Village, Midtown East, Upper East Side, and Upper West Side.
Companies are liable under New York City law for their managers’ discriminatory conduct.
The suit also names the Sweetgreen’s two “head coaches,” or general managers, as defendants.