NC Chick-fil-A fined $6,450 for paying workers with meal vouchers as part of 'volunteer' program

A Chick-fil-A franchise operator in western North Carolina is under fire for illegally paying workers with meal vouchers instead of money.

U.S. Department of Labor investigators found management at a Chick-fil-A in Hendersonville paid certain employees to work for meal vouchers rather than wages, in violation of minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The employees were asked to direct traffic as part of a volunteer program.

The franchisee was also found to have allowed three workers under the age of 18 to either operate, load or unload a trash compactor, which are violations of federal child labor regulations that prohibit employing minors to perform hazardous jobs.

The restaurant owes back wages of $235 to seven employees and $6,450 in civil money penalties.

The restaurant was heavily criticized online after a social media post that offered to pay volunteer workers with food over the summer. A Chick-fil-A corporate spokesperson said they didn't endorse the program.

In August 2022, investigators found a Chick-fil-A in Tampa, Florida, allowed 17 workers, ages 14- and 15-years-old, to work past 7 p.m. and more than three hours during school days, leading to $12,478 in civil money penalties.