On more than one occasion an employee, Caroline White, was called in for an extra, unscheduled shift as they were shorthanded for whatever reason. This resulted in Caroline being on the clock for more than forty hours in that week, requiring any hours over the forty to be paid at an overtime rate of time and a half. Not only was Caroline not paid the overtime rate, she was not paid even straight time rate, because there is a policy at the restaurant that forbids employees from earning overtime. This happened on 3 occasions that I am aware of, and if it happened to Caroline, it likely happened to others as well.
Do you at corporate headquarters have ANY idea the laws that were broken in these instances? Caroline remained silent at the time for fear of retribution, as she felt she needed to remain employed there until she found other employment, which she has and is no longer employed with your company.
On another occasion, there was to be a an inspection of the restaurant. Employees were working late in the evening to clean for this inspection. Caroline was asked by someone in authority (I'm assuming it was the GM, Jenny Lopez) to go for coffee and donuts from the local Dunkin Donuts. She did, paid for the coffee and donuts out of her own pocket, but was never reimbursed for the purchase. Is it routine Golden Corral policy to conduct business this way to strengthen the bottom line?
I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that there is a local blog site that is extremely popular in Salisbury. I have already sent this information to that blog site, who's owner is a friend of mine, urging the good people of Salisbury, MD to consider this mistreatment of a 17 year old college student by Golden Corral, Salisbury, MD, before they would darken the doorway of your restaurant again.
Publishers Notes: The last time we did an article about them, Golden Corral In Salisbury Flips The Bird To A Homecoming Soldier it went viral. In fact, even the local news stations followed us and in fact stole our exact title and exclusive story.
Golden Corral has and will always promote business to all minorities.
ReplyDeleteThey only want these types of clients.
I don't go there because it is a filthy place , always dirty and clean tables are hard to find. The floor is slippery and dirty. The restrooms lack toilet paper or soap all the time with dirty toilets and urinals. The smell is sickening .
English is the second language with Spanish and African American being the first .
Bob Evans is right down the street , but they are getting just as bad.
Spanish would be a language. However I study different languages and I don't recall African American being one I can choose from seeing as though African American is a race.
DeleteWouldn't eat there on a bet!
ReplyDeleteAll business's promote business. They promote it for the money.
ReplyDeleteI see plenty of diverse people in there, a lot of them white.
I question your agenda here, and doubt anybody around here would work for free. It's hard enough to get them to work when they are getting paid. Too busy on their phones etc.
I have not been to golden corral for years as the last time I was there, it was very dirty and the food was horrible. You would be surprised at how many companies in the local area, including one that is rated top almost every year in Metropolitan magazine, that do not pay OT. They offer comp time instead but not at time and a half but straight time.
ReplyDeleteHaven't gone there on over Five years. I didn't even know they were still in business. Place was filthy. Had to wait in a long line just to have a some steak. It wasn't worth the wait. Since this happened more than once, I quit going period.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Caroline should find another job.
ReplyDeleteIf you read the entire thing it said she Did.
DeleteGolden Corral in Salisbury HAS gone downhill.Sticky tables and filthy floors are the least of it.I know they do not have much control over their guests but the clientele they attract are loud,obnoxious,lack basic table manners and never correct their children...as a result,you have youngsters screaming,crying,making a mess and leaving food all over the floors and tables,and making a bigger mess at the food stations because they are unsupervised.The last time we went there,I was treated to the hearing the sexual exploits of a woman who I would describe as "quite ghetto",at the next table.We are trying to eat in peace and this lady,right in front of the kids at her table,is screeching about how much she loves some d*ck to another equally coarse and vulgar woman.Yuck.We have not been back.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly the point 6:36 , the lowest of low visit an establishment like this. If I'm paying for something especially food in a restaurant , I want clean , furnished , and most of all good food with pleasant surroundings. Do a head count again 6:36 , I did it 3 times . Some are white , not many , of course I don't blame them for not visiting this crappy place, most are transit.
ReplyDeleteI've been there twice and it's mostly overweight white people, and lots of unsupervised children.
DeleteBeen there quite a few times. Its many overweight white people who let they bad ass kids and grandkids do whatever
DeleteDesperate times. There are plenty of folks willing to overlook federal wage and hour guideline's to keep their jobs. Who are you going to tell when big corporations take advantage of employees. As long as customers go to these places, what can you do. Hire an attorney and sue them for these violations. I don't think do. Customers can help by, stop eating in this restaurant. Customer can pick one day and no one will eat in this restaurant on a particular day. Tax paying folks need to stop spending their money at places that don't respect customers and their employees. It's that simple.
ReplyDelete7:06, do you actually read?
ReplyDeleteanon 6:33am. The wife and I went there years ago. The seats we dirty. food in the cracks, floor wet and I told the wife after 30 min. wait to get this bs cleaned we were never coming back here.
ReplyDeleteHope the EEOC was notified. Workplace violations need to be reported. It may not help the person who is no longer working there, but it can help those that are still there. I worked at a fast food restaurant that did this to me. I started to keep track of my hours when I noticed my check didn't reflect all my over time or hours worked. When this happen more than once, I first brought this to my managers attention, and then when nothing was done, I quit and then filed a complaint with the EEOC. Soon after this, I got most of my back pay and so did others who were still working for them.
ReplyDeleteI have always been told, if you want to check the cleanliness of a restaurant, check out the bathrooms. It they are filthy, you know the kitchen area will also be filthy.
ReplyDelete6:36 AM what rock did you crawl out from under? You would be surprised how many employees "work for free". You sound like the typical Eastern Shore greedy employer always crying the blues from your McMansion on the hill looking down on the minions that got you there. Pathetic POS.
ReplyDelete7:39 , get real the EEOC is a government controlled establishment.
ReplyDeleteThey are comprised of 95% minorities who condone these places. It is the culture of minorities to allow these places to exist .
Whites are the minorities.
Deletei can't believe the health inspector hasn't shut that place down
ReplyDeletebut now that i think about it, that office is probably just as worthless as all the other local government offices
I'm surprised they haven't gotten shut down as well, while csq comes in and the kitchen fails with a 27% having undercooked meat and much more
Delete7:39, you might be right. This was back in the early 1980's when I worked for McDonalds. I called and filed a complaint and it was investigated and I was able to get my back pay I was owed. It I have kept a record of all my timecards, I would not have had a leg to stand on.
ReplyDeleteI know this place is not wonderful and neither is Bob Evans, Denny's, Sage, or Dayton's, so where in this town do you go for breakfast? Hardee's, McDonald's, Burger King, or Arby's? Dining out in Salisbury is the pits.
ReplyDeleteTheir respect for Veterans Day is commendable,and on that day there were what appeared to be thousands who participated.The food was excellent and appreciated.For those of you who don't like the Golden Corral there are many other local establishments to choose from.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful the food was good on Veteran's Day. However, Veteran's Day is only one day. What about the other 364 days in the year. And, not to mention leap year. This restaurant is dirty. The food is processed, bland and nasty. Just another worthless hangout. I've stop eating at places like this soooooooooo many years ago.
DeleteThe Deli at Pecan Square is a wonderful place for Breakfast. I've always had great service and its family owned and they always appreciate my business. I also go there on Friday nights for dinner. They have dinner specials and great subs! We also have our Men's prayer breakfast there the first Saturday of every month they treat us like family. I can't say enough good about them!
ReplyDeleteHi bloggers. I'm the guy who wrote the Golden Corral blog. To clarify, the content that Joe posted was content I sent to Golden Corral corporate headquarters via their website. I wanted to inform them of the unfair payroll practices occurring at the Salisbury store. I'm a little disappointed at the race component some of the posters seem to want to interject. There was no racial motivation to what I submitted. Anyone is entitled to eat at any restaurant they choose, no matter their race. I just am a little saddened that these posters used the airing of some illegal payroll practices to go on racial rants.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joe, for posting this.
As always, wonderful job.
Mike
Caroline is to be commended for working 40 hours a week, while going to college. She was correct in finding new employment when she felt stressed and mistreated by the Golden Corral Manager
ReplyDeleteHowever, after reading the posting, (which appears to be to the Golden Corral Head Quarters and to Joe at Salisbury News) it is not Caroline who is writing about her bad experiences. It makes me wonder if Caroline actually knew a third party was complaining on her behalf, or that a letter from a non-involved party is hearsay and gives the impression of “sour grapes” - not the factual information that only the involved party would provide.
Now that Caroline has a new job, with her fear of retaliation over, she should write her own grievances, concerning her treatment. This would get the attention of headquarters and perhaps a better ending.
Some of these comments may seem racist , I'm sure the difference between racist and the truth can be hard to accept. I don't consider myself a racist , but , I've been called a racist when commenting facts rather than opinion. I'm very worried about what's going on in the country with all the communist activity that have swayed the black population.
ReplyDeleteThe Golden Corral should pay for any OT and minimum wages , period.
Also they should keep a clean environment , store wise and people wise.
I guest they started cleaning by getting you out of there.
DeleteWhy even write the corporate office? Just file a complaint with Wage and Hour concerning overtime violation. Never eaten there and never will, but just like Olive Garden/Red Lobster, it seems the locals consider it fine dining.
ReplyDeleteI will be Boycotting them.
ReplyDeleteNo more mis-steaks from there. Bottom feeder food in a less than pleasant environment equals NO. The hour wage dispute doesn't surprise me. Business owners should be ashamed as should corporate. Boycott them and a new business will soon appear. Pass the word.
ReplyDeletemy friend does pest control for them, that place is infested!!!! would not eat there if I was paid too. He said the back of the place would make you puke. Full of mice and roaches.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone. It's Caroline White. I appreciate all the feed back from everyone. And I can back up everything that this post is about. I never asked him to write this for me. He understood my grief and concerns about my work place so he figured the best way to resolve he problem was to get views from other people before we took it any further. This wasn't to bash the company but to just speak on how the people at the work place can mistreat you. This post is only about Golden Corral in Salisbury. Once again like I said, it's not about the company as a whole, it's about the employees at Golden Corral.
ReplyDeleteIn Salisbury, MD.
Delete10:56 if that is a lie..why would you screw over the Pest Tech there?... The Pest Tech is required by law to document the issues and perform the tasks to abate them... and if he told you something like that it wasn't meant to be broadcast putting his professional integrity in question... this is not the first time I have seen this happen. Golden Corral should be proactive in making sure your friend is doing his job
ReplyDeleteHey 9:41,
ReplyDeleteGolden Corral blogger again...first name Mike.
I know Caroline personally and she is well aware that I am/was writing on her behalf. I have her and her mother's blessing to do so. I have the outcome I desired in this process. Any further questions?
Sad situation. Should be reported for multiple issues it sounds like.
ReplyDeletealso, I would like to ask the comment from nov 19 @ 6:10....
I'm a little confused by this comment you made..."English is the second language with Spanish and African American being the first." what is the "language" of the African Americans that you refer to?
Writing to Corporate will not do any good. Corporate tells the Managers that OT is not allowed. This is a common practice for Golden Corral and the owner's other franchises. The Managers try to hide the overtime by ignoring it and hoping the employee is to afraid to complain because they need a job.
ReplyDelete40 Hours in the age of Obamacare? and overtime too? GC is a franchise Corporate would have nothing to say about "overtime"
ReplyDeletea lot of people here seem very uninformed especially those who would not be caught dead there. I think of the way they treated that Vet every time I pass by...pass by...pass by
They would get their OT if they had a union.
ReplyDeleteThere are some good help there & as with most restaurants,
ReplyDeletethere are those who don't care & it shows.
I do note that things have have been much more lax since
Kirby isn't there as much as he use to be. He kept
that place in strict order at one time. I understand it
will be up for sale soon.
I worked in restaurants before----if you think the
upper Class restaurants are any better in the kitchen
cleanliness-----you'd better think again!!!!
There are a lot of illegal practices going on within that place, like padlocks on all the fire exits in the back that only the managers have keys to. The managers have instructions to remove these should the fire marshals show up.
ReplyDeleteHave you spoken with the management or owner about this Caroline?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteGolden Corral has and will always promote business to all minorities.
They only want these types of clients.
I don't go there because it is a filthy place , always dirty and clean tables are hard to find. The floor is slippery and dirty. The restrooms lack toilet paper or soap all the time with dirty toilets and urinals. The smell is sickening .
English is the second language with Spanish and African American being the first .
Bob Evans is right down the street , but they are getting just as bad.
November 19, 2015 at 6:10 AM
The floor is slippery because it is grease on the floor. There is so much grease in the air when they cook that it settles on the floor. When you leave there you smell like a nasty restaurant. I dated a girl years ago that worked at the old GC on Mt. Hermon Rd. I made her take a shower and wash her hair every time I picked her up from work. The smell she was carrying on her body gagged me in the car. That place is nasty.
LOL I would hope she would want to shower after a long days work in any restaurant.
DeleteAnonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI have always been told, if you want to check the cleanliness of a restaurant, check out the bathrooms. It they are filthy, you know the kitchen area will also be filthy.
November 19, 2015 at 7:41 AM
BINGO!! That is my theory!
Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteSome of these comments may seem racist , I'm sure the difference between racist and the truth can be hard to accept. I don't consider myself a racist , but , I've been called a racist when commenting facts rather than opinion. I'm very worried about what's going on in the country with all the communist activity that have swayed the black population.
The Golden Corral should pay for any OT and minimum wages , period.
Also they should keep a clean environment , store wise and people wise.
November 19, 2015 at 9:44 AM
You are correct. People drop the race card as soon as you mention anything, I mean anything about a black person. Every time something is mentioned it is the truth or a fact and their quick response is racist. Both black and whites have been trained to think something is racist if it isn't positive about a black person. People are ignorant about racist and the worst racist are black people and then ignorant white people. I can't believe the white people that degrade their own race just to make them think they feel good about it. It shows they are absolutely ignorant and more than likely voted for Obama because they thought he was black. Guess what, he is a white Muslim and you ignoramous morons put him in the White House.
You're the ignorant one here. Stop talking like a fool. You're trying to cause an up roar. No one wants to hear your political person views. Grow up!
DeleteB glad you have a job
ReplyDeleteI work there. Padlocks are only locked at night.
ReplyDeleteMust be a new policy. They were content to lock all employees inside only six months ago when I worked there.
Deletesame here, when I asked Brian how we would get out the back if there was a fire towards the front of the restaurant he said "I'll unlock the door"... but unfortunately I couldn't believe that because when you need a manager there is not one anywhere to be found
DeleteAnonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeletemy friend does pest control for them, that place is infested!!!! would not eat there if I was paid too. He said the back of the place would make you puke. Full of mice and roaches.
November 19, 2015 at 10:56 AM
My cousin works at the Office of the State Fire Marshal and he says the place always fails inspections and it is close to being closed down. The place is a fire hazard and a fire trap. All that grease on the tables and floors will make that place go up in flames very quickly. You are risking your life to eat there.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteB glad you have a job
November 19, 2015 at 5:44 PM
Or get on welfare like you?
And they don't have roaches!
ReplyDeleteMany businesses owned or ran by foreigners don't lay overtime. Most tax their employees and don't report these to the IRS, ultimately keeping the money and sending a 10-99 to their employees. These people end up working for less than &4.00 an hr at the end of the year. And when you try to complain to the IRS it is impossible to do so. Same with the state. Alot of revenue is lost this way. And I guarantee alot of this money ends up in the hands of the Islamic State. The county needs to do an audit and set up a hotline for folks like this and the girl above at the Golden Coral. Not paying people correctly hurts everyone.
ReplyDeleteThe company has split ownership. One local in Salisbury the other in DC. Good people this is not representative of who they are.........
DeleteWhite American guy owns the restaurant, don't think this is really relevant.
Delete7:17 a local guy owns this not a Muslim.
ReplyDeleteMy daughters first job at the age of 14 was here, at the golden corral. She was so excited to have her first job, that ended in a nightmare. Every night she came home crying and upset because of the way she was treated there. On one occasion, I actually went there and spoke with a manager about the situation. Nothing was ever done about it and it continued on. She constantly complained about how filthy the entire establishment was. It was very clear to me that this establishment was very poorly managed and the employees were treated so unfairly. I took it upon myself to go in one evening and have dinner. After that ONE night, I knew I wouldnt be returning there to eat again. At this point, I gave my daughter permission to quit her job there and get out!!!! I feel sorry that her first Job had to be such a horrible experience. I find it very satisfying that someone has come forward and told their story. I hope they follow through and the golden corral can either get its act together or close it's stores.
ReplyDeleteWe were there for a family birthday party Tuesday night. Food was good, bathrooms were clean and stocked. Staff was super friendly. Maybe they have stepped up their act? I hadn't been there in a while. Anyway, we had a great time. They treated my 80 year old mother like a queen for her birthday. We'll definitely go back.
ReplyDeleteA lot of restaurants in Salisbury stink. The whole town has gone downhill. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteWe don't go there much any more, not for any particular reason, but in the past we have commented on how the manager is always there and usually working - could it be that this person was just a disgruntled employee
ReplyDeleteThis place is nasty I will not be anonymous and I will not eat there nor ever work there they are disrespectful I had a girl get very rude with me one night that place is aweful
ReplyDeletePosts like this are the reason why we can't pay our bills! I worked with you directly Caroline! (I'm not a manager, dept head, or crew leader). You were not treated unfairly! But when you make a mountain out of a molehill that causes us to be slow and we can't make money to pay our bills. Molly and Jeni always fixed paychecks. You complained about not serving, they put you as a server and you just weren't happy. I have children to take care of and because of you airing dirty laundry instead of talking to them, now my family will suffer. So thank you .
ReplyDeletethats bs we were all treated unfairly, I'll give it to Molly Adkins, the manager there with the most sense, she would fix paychecks as jeni would go behind and erase the hours again. this post is not effecting your job what so ever, if you worked with Caroline you would know that she went above and behind for Golden Corral and still was treated horribly, you're probably just one of the unhappy, trashy, servers there also unhappy with your job.
DeleteTrying to stick up for this place isn't going to get you a promotion or a raise so stop the lies.
DeleteDesperate time as mentioned above. Folks will do anything for money to take care of their families. And, Corporate knows this. Corporate taking advantage of their employees. Corporate is the problem.
DeleteMolly Adkins who cussed me (former employee) out weeks ago? How classy.
DeleteGood morning again bloggers. To the person that worked with Caroline, I would say this. If you have had a payroll issue in the past and it was corrected, I'm very glad it was. I can only tell you that Caroline's were not. And, to reiterate, she was never reimbursed for the Dunkin' Donuts purchases. If you're happy working there, I am glad for you. I only wanted to call attention to these isolated incidents. I can tell you with great conviction that it was never my intention to unless the s$#t storm of cleanliness issues A LOT of people seem to have, and certainly not the racist stupidity that ensued. I myself have eaten in the restaurant and have never had a bad experience. Staff was always friendly and I enjoyed the food. As far as the cleanliness aspect, there may have been some tables that had not been bussed when I would walk in, but the restaurant seemed to be busy all the time, so you must be doing something right. BUT, it does seem that there are a fair amount of people out there that do not share my opinions, and you know what they say about opinions................"and they all stink".
ReplyDeleteWhy does every damn thing have to be a black and white issue now a days like seriously
ReplyDeleteTo clarify, the word "unless" was supposed to be "unleashed". Makes more sense now, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThank you Kaitlin.
ReplyDeleteGolden Coral was one of the only places I have eaten where I was served by a waitress with a black eye and very poor attitude. She also had a very strong smell of nicotine coming off of her.
ReplyDeleteClassy Place.
I haven't been to this place since they had the incident with the soldier. I won't be going back unless the business changes ownership.
ReplyDeleteNot that it matters, but the owners are white American men. Both are complete a**holes to work for. They don't care about their employees. They also own burger kings in the area, well one of them does. I worked for them years ago as a manager. They do make you work FOR FREE!!! They will also make up phony reasons to take money from your paycheck. The restaurants are filthy, and nobody cares. As long as the money keeps rolling in, nothing will change.
ReplyDeleteSo true.
DeleteWhere to eat breakfast? Support the locals. Devages has the best breakfast around. Staff is friendly and personable. Food is good and place is clean! Support our small businesses and locals.
ReplyDeleteSupport the locals. DeVages. Good. Clean. Friendly.
ReplyDeleteWe worked on a fundraiser for the DAV for every weekend for 6 weeks. You can't find any better people than those who work there. I noticed when people dropped food on the floor and walked in it one of the employees was right there to sweep it up! You people have to remember you are not in YOUR kitchen at home. I might say I owned a Janitorial cleaning service and am shocked how you live and you don't have hundreds of people in your home spilling/etc. If the bathroom has no toilet tissue tell someone. You never know who used more that their share. These people do a good job and I appreciate them.
ReplyDeleteMy husband ate at devages once and asked for extra butter for his toast and they told him there would be an extra charge for it. He never went back. LOL
ReplyDeleteWe use to go there many years ago when they were on Mt. Herman road. Tried the new place one time after it first opened, total zoo.
ReplyDeleteDevages is good but too expensive and if they charged me extra for a condiment I wouldn't go back either.
ReplyDeleteDayton's has good food but they need to removel and get some new booths and carpet. Heard a lot of people say it is too dirty looking in there.
ReplyDelete