Bobcat Bonnie's employees plan picketing demonstration following restaurant closure in Ypsilanti
YPSILANTI, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Bobcat Bonnie's in downtown Ypsilanti is suspending operations indefinitely and has no plans to reopen.
Workers claim they've experienced bounced paychecks, unreasonable notice for shifts and inappropriate behavior toward staff. According to the employees at the Ypsilanti location, they found out their final shift was on Sunday, Oct. 13, after a month of trying to communicate these concerns with corporate.
"I've had one directly bounce out of my account and one that wouldn't get cashed, and we were told by management to go and take it to a party store because they accept it on good faith, which did not sit right with me," one employee said.
It's one of the reasons the employees will be picketing outside Bobcat Bonnie's headquarters in Ferndale starting at 11 a.m. Thursday after learning that their Ypsilanti location will be suspending operations indefinitely.
"I think this is a retaliatory thing, the suspension of operations because if this was truly about us and his concerns, and his concerns for us and the concerns that we raised, he wouldn't put us all out of jobs," one server said.
An email sent to staff by the owner, which has since made its way to social media, says the suspension comes as they investigate employee claims of harassing behavior while also gathering feedback from employees on their experiences and other aspects of operations.
Workers claim the move is in retaliation for their efforts to organize as a group when bringing their demands to the corporation.
"We want our focus to be on the retaliatory closing of the store for asking for communication, for asking for progress, asking for any kind of improvement," another server said.
These employees say they'd take their jobs back if the restaurant opens again, but they also want their concerns addressed.
"It's a great queer community space for us. I got the job here at Bobcats because I loved the place so much, and I would really like to have my job back, and we can just go from there," one server said.
"Just opening the doors isn't enough. If we're returning to the same conditions, none of this matters anyway," said another server.
The owner told CBS News Detroit over the phone that these claims are not true. The corporate offices also issued a statement confirming the location will not reopen:
"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."
Matt Buskard with Bobcat Bonnie's issued a statement on Friday, saying: "Now that the picketing has concluded at the Bobcat Bonnie's Ferndale location and we have an agreement, I want to thank the Bobcat United group for keeping things civil and professional while we negotiated a severance package for the impacted Ypsilanti workers.
"Going forward, the management team and I are dedicated to listening to all of our employees as we work together to create a fun and inviting dining experience for our guests. I am looking forward to implementing quite a few changes across the board at Bobcat Bonnie's restaurants effective immediately. Your feedback will be very important to me. Please come have a meal soon at Bobcat Bonnie's in Corktown, Ferndale, Grand Rapids, Wyandotte and Lansing so that you can meet our team where they are happiest -- on the job and making money."