Sweetgreen Managers Hurled N-Word At Workers Across NYC: Lawsuit

NEW YORK CITY — Sweetgreen managers hurled racial slurs, denied employment to black workers and ignored sexual harassment complaints in salad chain outposts across New York City, a new lawsuit contends.

Managers and coworkers at seven Sweetgreen restaurants in Manhattan subjected to Black employees to the N-word on a daily basis and fostered an atmosphere rife with sexual harassment and lewd comments, the discrimination lawsuit filed Thursday in Bronx Supreme Court states.

"I hate these Black workers," is among the many racist statements detailed in the 39-page complaint. "They don’t clean well and they're lazy."

A Sweetgreen spokesperson said the chain is committed to both diversity and fostering a safe and inclusive workplace.

"We take these accusations seriously and do not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination, or unsafe working conditions," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We are unable to comment further on any pending legal matters."

The 10 Sweetgreen employees, all of whom identify as African-American, contend qualified Black candidates were routinely passed over in hiring and promotion decisions in favor of Hispanic workers.

The suit is an expansion of a complaint filed in March by two people.

It covers Sweetgreen locations in the Financial District, Greenwich Village, the Meatpacking District, Midtown, Upper East Side and Upper West Side, as well as names two general managers as defendants.

One of those general managers at a 55th Street and Park Avenue location is accused of letting Hispanic employees refer to Black coworkers by derogatory Spanish words, the lawsuit states.

Another general manager used the N-word on a daily basis, with it being his usual form of address, the lawsuit states.

"Ventura explained his use of the N-word by saying, 'You know, I hung out with Black people in my life," the lawsuit states. "'It's OK for me to say that.'"

Both managers made sexually inappropriate comments about workers and customers, the complaint contends.

At the 32 Gansevoort St. location, one female worker heard her manager listing off which women employees he found to be cute or ugly, according to the lawsuit.

The manager told her she was causing problems when she complained and Sweetgreen ultimately fired her, the complaint contends.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, also notes workers asked their managers to stop, but were ignored.

According to the lawsuit, a "Head Coach" at the 67 Wall St. location who used the N- word was told, "You know you’re hurting our feelings.”

Read the complete lawsuit here.