FORMER EMPLOYEES OF PARLOR PIZZA

SAY THEY WERE FORCED TO WORK

OVERTIME WITHOUT PAY AND

CUSTOMERS OF COLOR WERE SEATED

IN THE BACK OF THE RESTAURANT IN

THE REJECTION SECTION.

IT IS UNDER CITY INVESTIGATION

AFTER BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

REPORTED.

JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS

BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO REPORTER

QUINN MYERS.

WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THE STORY

SINCE HE FIRST HELPED BREAK NEWS

ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS.

WE DID REACH OUT TO PARLOR PIZZA

FOR A RESPONSE WHICH WE WILL

HEAR IN JUST A BIT.

QUINN MYERS GOOD TO SEE YOU.

WELCOME BACK.

TWO AGENCIES ARE LOOKING INTO

THE ALLEGATIONS.

WHICH ONES AND WHAT CAN YOU TELL

US ABOUT THEIR INVESTIGATION SO

FAR?

>> SURE.

THEY'VE JUST LAUNCHED THIS

INVESTIGATION THE BUSINESS

AFFAIRS AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

AGENCY AT THE CITY OF CHICAGO

AND THE CHICAGO COMMISSION ON

HUMAN RELATIONS.

THE BACP IS LOOKING INTO

ALLEGATIONS THAT LABOR WAS

PERFORMED AT PARLOR AT THE

BEHEST OF MANAGEMENT AND THE

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RELATIONS IS

LOOKING INTO WHAT YOU REFERRED

TO AS THE ALLEGED REJECTION

SECTION THAT ALLEGEDLY CUSTOMERS

OF COLOR WERE SAT IN SPECIFIC

LOCATIONS AT PARLOR'S RESTAURANT

AT THE RIVER NORTH LOCATION.

THOSE TWO AGENCIES ARE

ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO REACH OUT

FORMER PARLOR EMPLOYEES AND

CUSTOMERS WHO BELIEVES THAT THEY

POSSIBLY WERE DISCRIMINATED

AGAINST AT THESE RESTAURANTS AND

THAT'S ALL WE KNOW ABOUT THE

INVESTIGATION SO FAR.

>> AND QUINN, YOU WRITE ABOUT

HARASSMENT AND WE MENTIONED

OVERTIME WITHOUT PAY.

DESCRIBE SOME OF THE ALLEGATIONS

FROM THE FORMER EMPLOYEES FOR

US?

>> SURE, WE SPOKE TO SEVERAL

FORMER PARLOR EMPLOYEES WHO

TALKED ABOUT THE REJECTION

SECTION ALLEGEDLY THIS WAS A

SPECIFIC LOCATION IN THE RIVER

NORTH RESTAURANT WHERE PEOPLE OF

COLOR WERE SAT LESS VISIBLE

LOCATION AND WE HEARD ABOUT

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND A CULTURE

OF RETALIATION WHERE IF

SPECIFICALLY FEMALE SERVERS DID

NOT LOOK A CERTAIN WAY OR UP TO

STANDARDS THEY COULD NOT BE

SCHEDULED THE NEXT WEEK OR

SCHEDULED BUT ONLY IN A CERTAIN

SECTIONS THAT WERE NOT AS

PROFITABLE.

WE HEARD ABOUT ALLEGATIONS THAT

AFTER SERVERS WORKED A FULL

SHIFT THEY WOULD HAVE TO CLOCK

OUT AND ROLL SILVERWARE UNPAID

AND WE HEARD FROM EMPLOYEES THAT

THEY SAY THEY HAD TO WORK MANY

DOUBLES IN A ROW AS MANY AS 11

DOUBLES IN A ROW.

AND AGAIN, PARLOR DENIED ALL OF

THE ALLEGATIONS AND SAID THEY

ARE NOT TRUE.

>> SPEAKING OF PARLOR WE WERE

ABLE TO SPEAK WITH THE NEW CHIEF

DIVERSITY OFFICER FORMER WVON

RADIO HOST MAYS JACKSON.

>> WE STRONGLY PUSHBACK AGAINST

OUR COMPANY BEING HAVING RACE --

BEING A RACIST COMPANY I WILL

TELL YOU WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT

SOMETIMES THINGS HAPPEN SO WHAT

WE WANT TO DO IS DO A SELF

EXAMINATION AND CHECK MAKE SURE

THAT OUR POLICIES, PROCESSES AND

PROCEDURES ARE IN PLACE TO

INSURE THAT NOTHING LIKE THIS IF

IT EVER WAS TO HAPPEN, DOESN'T

HAPPEN AGAIN.

>> AND QUINN WE DON'T HAVE A LOT

OF TIME BUT YOU SPOKE TO A

MANAGER WHAT WAS HER RESPONSE?

>> SURE.

WE SPOKE TO TANYA, THE GENERAL

MANAGER AT WICKER PARK AND SHE

SAID WHAT MAYS IS SAYING THAT

THERE'S NO TRUTH TO THE

ALLEGATIONS AND THAT SHE AS A

WOMAN OF COLOR WOULD NOT HAVE

TOLERATED THAT AND SAID THERE

WAS ONE ALLEGATION WHERE FORMER

SERVERS SAID THAT MANAGEMENT

OFTEN KEPT COVID CASES HUSH HUSH

THAT IF SOMEONE TESTED POSITIVE

FOR COVID THEY WOULD HAVE TO

FIND OUT FROM THEIR FELLOW STAFF

MEMBERS THEY DID NOT HEAR FROM

MANAGEMENT.

PARLOR PUSHED BACK ON THAT AND

TANYA SAID THAT WASN'T TRUE THEY

NOTIFIED STAFF MEMBERS IF THEY

HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO COVID.

>> IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHAT