Bartolotta Restaurant Group Announces Layoff Extension

WAUKESHA, WI— Bartolotta Restaurant Group LLC announced a temporary mass layoffs made in March is now expected to extend to go beyond the initial 6 months. The number of impacted employees is 268.

According to WARN, Bartolotta Restaurant Group, LLC ("Bartolotta")
executed a series of layoffs on March 16, March 20, and on April 6, as a result of "unforeseeable business circumstances caused by the pandemic."

"The speed at which the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the
economic landscape, and associated uncertainties, has made it impossible for Bartolotta to give more advance notice. Affected employees have been paid any earned wages in accordance with applicable law," a Sept. 16 letter said.

At this time, it is unclear how much longer, exactly, the temporary mass layoff will last.

According to the letter, employees affected by the mass layoff have no automatic transfer or bumping rights to another facility and do not have, a collective bargaining representative.

Bartolotta Restaurants released the following statement to Patch:

“Our goal continues to safely reopen every Bartolotta Restaurant and Catering spaces. We are doing so at a pace which is consistent with the current business demands as well as in the most meticulous and safest way we know how. The complexities of these difficult decisions are not made lightly, and we acknowledge the hardships this pandemic continues to cause.

During this period of uncertainty, the one guiding force that remains true to The Bartolotta Restaurants is that the safety of our employees, our guests, and our partners is of utmost priority. As we continue to deal with the rippling effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted our nation, we find ourselves having to make tough decisions each day.

When this pandemic caused us to close unexpectedly in March, we had hoped and expected that many of our employees would be able to return to work within six months. Because we found it necessary to extend the temporary layoffs for a number of employees, we were required by law [the State and federal WARN Acts] to inform employees that their layoff status would continue beyond six months.

We remain focused and are working on a thoughtful, deliberate, and strategic plan to reopen units. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure we can welcome back as many employees as possible and will be making more announcements soon.”