Beef-a-Roo Closes its Doors
Employees Went Without Pay for Two-Plus Weeks
By Darcie Shinberger
Just six months after opening, Beef-a-Roo's Macomb location – along with its other restaurants throughout the Midwest – has shuttered its doors and employees haven't been paid for two-plus weeks.
The restaurant, which is part of a chain that was founded in 1967, opened Dec. 10 in the former Hardee's building on West Jackson Street. Headquartered in Rockford (IL), Beef-a-Roo also had restaurants in Arkansas (two); Illinois (10); Indiana (one); Kansas (two); Michigan (three); Missouri (two); Tennessee (one), and Texas (one).
A former Beef-A-Roo employee who has been with the fast-food place since nearly the beginning told The Community News Brief that their paydays kept getting moved back. A few weeks ago, management told the staff – about 25 at the Macomb location – that they didn't know when they'd be paid.
"Eventually I quit, and I still haven't been paid. Several of us worked two weeks without being paid," he explained. "They told us payroll had been funded, but it really hadn't been. We had no idea this was going on until we didn't paid, but they told us to still keep coming in."
Last week, Beef-a-Roo employees were notified that all company locations would remain temporarily closed as the restaurant chain "faces significant financial challenges." The email sent by Human Resources Director Enid Silva, added the company "regrets to inform you that the funds necessary to process payroll have not yet been released by our funding partners."
The email continued to state that "all locations will remain temporarily closed until this matter has been resolved and we are able to safely resume operations." Originally the company's VP said that the July 1 payroll had been processed; however, the Macomb employee said that paycheck was never deposited.
"I have no idea when, or if, we'll even get paid. I feel bad for a lot of my co-workers because they have kids and they have rent and other bills," he said. "We've lodged complaints with the Illinois Department of Labor for missing wages, but we were told it could take up to 25 weeks to review."
According to Macomb Mayor Mike Inman, he has talked to a company representative about the situation.
"We hope that Beef-a-Roo works through these challenges, and re-opens in our community. Most importantly, we hope that the employees are paid the wages they earned and deserved," Inman concluded. "Corporate has told us they will so all they can to get things straightened out."
