North Carolina Chick-fil-A franchisee fined $6K after letting teenagers use hazardous machinery, paying workers with meals, federal investigation finds

Employer:                                          Good Name 22:1 LLC

                                                            Operating as Chick-fil-A

                                                            52 Highland Square

                                                            Hendersonville, NC 28792

Investigation findings: U.S. Department of Labor investigators found Good Name 22:1 LLC of Hendersonville, N.C. – operating as Chick-fil-A – allowed three workers under the age of 18 to either operate, load or unload a trash compactor, all violations of federal child labor regulations that prohibit employing minors to perform hazardous jobs.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division investigators found the employer also paid certain employees – who were asked to direct traffic – to work for meal vouchers rather than wages, in violation of minimum wage provisions of the FLSA.

Civil money penalties assessed:       $6,450 to address the child labor violations.

Back wages owed to workers:          $235 to seven employees.

Quote: “Protecting our youngest workers continues to be a top priority for the Wage and Hour Division,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Richard Blaylock in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Child labor laws ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health, well-being or educational opportunities. In addition, employers are responsible to pay workers for all of the hours worked and the payment must be made in cash or legal tender.”

Background: In August 2022, another Chick-Fil-A in Tampa, Florida paid $12,478 in civil money penalties after division investigators found the employer allowed 17 workers, ages 14- and 15-years-old, to work past 7 p.m. and more than 3 hours during school days.

Employers can contact the Wage and Hour Division at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE.

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including information about protections for young workers on the department’s YouthRules! website. Workers can call the Wage and Hour Division confidentially with questions – regardless of their immigration status – and the department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages.