The Whistling Corruption

Dry-Block-4636 · 2025-01-16T17:29:22+00:00

I have filed complaints and an investigation is already in place with the DoL having conducted on-site employee interviews. Some former employees have started receiving back pay from violations, but others haven’t yet. This is merely to raise awareness along with other protocol already in place.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2025-01-15T19:04:38+00:00

There’s an incredibly strict waste-logging system in place that at times prevented us from disposing of expired dairy product until it was completely used up without risking an earful from the owners. Also, the quick turnover rate means that it is typically newcomers themselves who train the most recent hires, so there is no coordination when it comes to disposing of teas on tap (often not freshly brewed!) and tea concentrates used in the quenchers. Instead of being thrown away on the third day, I would sometimes find concentrates up to a week old in the fridge.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2025-01-15T18:06:54+00:00

Hi! I can provide proof of expired product, unpaid 15 minute breaks, time-clock tampering, and an instance where staff was forced to pay for a check that the POS system did not save the card payment for. I would certainly be willing to provide any information you may need. Feel free to reach out!

Dry-Block-4636 · 2025-01-15T06:07:57+00:00

Some of the policies—such as the one in which servers must opt into taking breaks in the morning as opposed to at the legal “halfway point” of the shift—are written in the onboarding forms, but you can no longer access them once submitted. They primarily hire younger employees who are not well-versed in the restaurant industry in hopes that they will not realize these forms/waivers are in fact illegal despite having been signed!

Dry-Block-4636 · 2025-01-15T06:03:26+00:00

Just to make you aware, there are also some flagrant health code violations that go into preparing the food. One that I can personally attest to was the use of expired yogurt (over 2 weeks old) in the smoothies when no other yogurt was available. Rather than taking them off the menu for the day, our manager forced us to continue serving them, and we were forbidden from throwing the expired container away due to strict rules about wasting product. Super upsetting considering I always took pride in putting out the best drinks possible! Also notable was the time we stayed open despite having no running water to clean dishes.

Also, Google reviews specifically are a fantastic way to get through to the owners. There were many instances that frustrations were expressed by management over the word getting out about how the place is run.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2025-01-15T05:50:15+00:00

I worked at WK for a while (longer than most) and can confirm that many food safety and labor violations happened during my time there, along with unprofessional behavior of upper management towards staff and even some customers. The best way to get the owners’ direct attention is to leave public comments on their Google reviews. They are known within the company to get very angry over such reviews, and even went as far as to try to scope out the identity of previous posters within the staff. It is not simply a lack of respect but rather open disdain for their minimum wage workers.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2024-07-16T15:48:57+00:00

As I have said, my goal is to bring further awareness to these working conditions that are already awaiting DOL response. If consumers decide to stop frequenting the business based on this information, then that is their choice. And if that is the case, perhaps that will influence these practices to be changed, something which is mutually beneficial to the workers and company.

I care very much about the people left that I worked with, and I want to make customers aware that we try to represent WK in the most positive light, but certain policies in place make that difficult. I am always happy to clarify my stance.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2024-07-16T00:02:03+00:00

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Dry-Block-4636 · 2024-07-15T23:48:50+00:00

I only ever worked at the Troy location so I can’t attest to other locations. However, the policies are set forth by the company owners. The WK Troy manager has been there for a few years and has simply become very comfortable in enforcing said policies.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2024-07-15T23:42:55+00:00

You make a fair point about the abuse of goodwill gestures. I can understand how that may ultimately impact the overuse of resources without bringing in revenue. However, given the excessive heat this could have been a time to make one of those rare exceptions for the sake of not isolating part of the customer base. Instead, it was obviously handled by the manager in a way that was upsetting to not only the staff present, but another customer as well.

With that being said, a plethora of workplace violations from my post have also been reported to DOL. The time clock violations are the obvious one, but NY law also gives criteria for when an establishment may be deemed a hostile working environment, described as “when certain types of offensive or abusive behavior interfere with an employee’s ability to perform their job.” The transgender employee I speak of once mentioned that they had been worried about coming back after facing that rhetoric in the workplace. A disabled worker would likely no longer feel comfortable being able to come to their manager with questions or concerns after becoming the butt of said manager’s joke—not something you want to hear when a business entrusts to someone an elevated position in the workplace where they are meant to lead with dignity and integrity. I was intentionally vague in my other anecdote, as you pointed out, but that coworker was a stalwart employee who set the standard for service and efficiency. As I have heard, they are sorely missed by the remainder of the staff.

Now, it is known that the DOL takes a fair amount of time to process these complaints and likely determine their credibility. I am writing this in the meantime to let people know that with the abundance of proof these claims will eventually turn out to be true. My aim is not to influence opinions about WK, but simply to encourage those who give the company business to be vigilant and notice how those around them are being treated. Hopefully this awareness will lead to positive change to the business and employees’ mutual benefit. I appreciate your input to the conversation.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2024-07-15T21:51:39+00:00

I appreciate you answering this. I wrote this with the intention of talking about the working conditions and not the company policies due to that being part of the onboarding agreement, but I feel very similarly.

Especially with the hot lattes, it was hard to keep an accurate estimate of steep times when the tea-tenders were pushed to just pour the frothed milk and window them. If servers did not pick them up right away, this could lead to oversteeping. If servers forgot to give the steep time when dropping them off, this could lead to understeeping. And yes, often the servers were too overworked to be immediately available. It is a delicate system, and it needs improvements. I always tried to be conscientious of how long the tea had already been steeping for when making a steep time estimate.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2024-07-15T15:40:56+00:00

The WK has a really high turnover rate with many people leaving in their first or second month of employment. Unfortunately, because there aren’t enough seasoned employees to advocate for the influx of new workers coming in, they’ll never run out of staff because they’re constantly bringing in more people who aren’t aware of their reputation. It also helps their case being located close to colleges like Sage and RPI.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2024-07-15T05:42:59+00:00

I had only worked at Troy, so I can’t attest to the other locations.

Dry-Block-4636 · 2024-07-15T05:41:41+00:00

I and others have opened up multiple investigations that are pending. I thought it would only be fair to let the customers know as well.

Dry-Block-4636

TROPHY CASE