Business & Tech
New Scandal Emerges; Do You Still Eat Upper Crust Pizza? [POLL]
In 2010, Upper Crust Pizzeria faced accusations of significant labor violations. Now the chain's founder has been placed on leave after allegations he stole company funds.
One of 's founders, Jordan Tobins, has been placed on leave after the other two founders, Josh Huggard and Brendan Higgins, allege he stole money from the company for personal use, according to an article in the Boston Globe.
One thing he might have spent the money on? His $700,000 yacht, which after an attempt to list it on eBay, he is currently barred from selling due to a restraining order that requires him to obtain court approval before transferring any of his personal assets.
The restraining order stems from a lawsuit wherein 5 former employees are suing Upper Crust for labor violations; per the Globe "Upper Crust allegedly relied on low-paid illegal laborers from a small village in Brazil to expand the chain to 18 restaurants over the past decade, according to a Globe investigation published in 2010. Former employees have accused the company of routinely taking advantage of Brazilian workers by underpaying them for long workweeks and later rescinding overtime compensation ordered by the US Department of Labor."
Find out what's happening in Brooklinefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Upper Crust's lawyer, Franklin Levy, told the Globe the company is headed in the right direction, however. "They brought in a new financial team and the prior [chief financial officer], frankly, lacked the competence to deal with this kind of business. The new financial team is paying attention to the business. No one is taking vacations, no one is on their yacht, no one is playing golf. They are working 12 to 20 hours a day to get the business to do well and to continue to grow.’’
Are you hungry for Upper Crust no matter what, or has all this drama made you lose your appetite? Vote in our poll and leave a comment with your opinion on the issues at stake.
