In a shocking move to keep their company alive, Logan’s Roadhouse decided to fire every single one of its employees and shut down all 261 of its restaurant locations. While many other businesses were shifting to take-out and delivery services, Logan’s Roadhouse took a different path. They completely cleared their payroll, leaving hundreds of workers jobless during one of the worst economic crises in American history.
Logan’s Roadhouse is owned by CraftWorks Holdings, the same company that owns the popular restaurant chain, Old Chicago. Instead of finding a way to support their workers, the big company chose to furlough everyone, including taking away healthcare benefits at a time when people needed them the most.
This decision left many wondering what was really going on behind the scenes. One employee said, “We were already scared about the pandemic, and then they just left us with nothing.”
But the story took an even darker turn. CraftWorks’ CEO, Hazem Ouf, wasn’t just fired for mishandling the company’s finances—he was caught stealing. Reports revealed that Hazem had been moving company money around for his personal gain. Specifically, he was caught sending $7 million in sales taxes to different states where the company operated without permission.
A source stated, “Hazem Ouf was fired as CEO of the company, CraftWorks Holdings, for passing along $7 million in sales taxes to states where the company’s various brands were in operation.”
Just days after Hazem’s shocking removal, CraftWorks continued firing its employees, one after another. The company claimed that because they didn’t have enough money to keep the restaurants open, they had no choice but to “mothball” all of their 261 locations, closing them indefinitely. What made this even worse was that many employees weren’t told that their jobs were gone for good.
Instead, some workers held onto hope, thinking they’d be called back once the COVID-19 pandemic passed. “I kept waiting, checking my phone, hoping they’d say we could come back,” one worker shared. “But that call never came.”
Before the pandemic even hit, CraftWorks Holdings was already in trouble. The company had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a sign that it was struggling financially. But things went from bad to worse when the pandemic caused an economic crash in the fourth year of Trump’s presidency.
After Hazem Ouf’s scandalous firing, the company wasted no time replacing him. The new CEO, Marc Buehler, stepped in and immediately continued the mass layoffs. Not only were employees left without jobs, but they also lost their healthcare benefits during a global pandemic when they needed them the most. As a result, many workers found themselves scrambling to sign up for Obamacare, one of the only options left for affordable healthcare.
People are furious and heartbroken over how Logan’s Roadhouse and CraftWorks treated their employees. “They could’ve helped us,” one former worker said, “but instead they just turned their backs on us.”
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