YPSILANTI, Mich. (WXYZ) — Former Bobcat Bonnie’s employees hit the picket line on Thursday in hopes their voices will be heard by the restaurant’s corporate team.
Former employees say they had many issues while working at the Ypsilanti location including harassment by management and bounced checks.
The former employees say when the employees brought their concerns to the Bobcat Bonnie’s corporate team, they were notified that the restaurant was closing.
When 7 News Detroit reached out to the Bobcat Bonnie’s corporate team about why the Ypsilanti location was closing, we were sent this statement:
Bobcat Bonnie’s takes staff complaints seriously. On October 7, a handful of Ypsilanti staff members came to the corporate office with complaints and demands about working conditions in a written statement. We spoke immediately with the individuals to address the issues. We brought in an employment attorney because we wanted to take the allegations seriously. We reached out to these staff members again to investigate the claims further and have been rebuffed twice.
It is incredibly hurtful to see negative commentary because we have always taken great pride in our place in the community. We are open to suggestions and changes in this ever evolving restaurant industry. Bobcat Bonnie’s will always be committed to being a place folks can take pride in working, in an environment that celebrates them and to address any issue quickly and competently.
We will not be reopening the Ypsilanti location. Like many small restaurants, we are shrinking our footprint so we can be more focused on our other locations throughout Michigan.
The former employees who were out picketing brought up a concern about severance pay as well.
The former employees said they are not calling for a boycott.
The group will be picketing from Thursday until Sunday.
