Golden Corral under investigation by Department of Labor

Golden Corral is under investigation by the New York State Department of Labor, and a former employee at the restaurant filed complaints saying the franchise owner failed to pay multiple employees.

Less than two months after the chain restaurant opened, Golden Corral in the Town of Poughkeepsie shut down in a decision described as “unprecedented” by Bill Marks, a spokesman for the Golden Corral corporation.

“There’s an open investigation involving the Golden Corral in Poughkeepsie,” said Cullen Burnell, acting communications director at the state Department of Labor.

READ: Golden Corral ends relationship with Poughkeepsie restaurant in 'unprecedented' closure

READ: Golden Corral closes in Town of Poughkeepsie

Franchise owner Sherrance Henderson initially declined to comment, but later sent the following text.

“I would’ve continued providing employment opportunities and going through my growing pains to be the best buffet in the area if I was afforded the opportunity by Golden Corral,” Henderson said. “As a result of Golden Corral terminating my license agreement, I was not able to continue the employment and other opportunities that were afforded by the revenue of the store.”

As it is an open investigation, Burnell declined to comment further.

However, an employee at Golden Corral said Henderson did not pay him and other employees during the restaurant’s brief time in Dutchess County.

“Every week there was a different problem,” said Messiah Glenn, 22, of Poughkeepsie. “Henderson owes me and others at least three paychecks.”

Glenn, who worked at Golden Corral since its opening on Jan. 27, said he was given multiple excuses as to why he wasn’t receiving a paycheck. He also received what he described as a “fraudulent check.

“We were given checks without accounting or routing numbers, and the bank wouldn’t take it,” Glenn said.

Glenn filed a complaint with the state Department of Labor over the missing checks, which amount to about $1,700 before taxes, he said.

“I just want people to understand what was actually going on at Golden Corral,” he said.

Malcolm Jefferson, a former team leader at Golden Corral, said he was owed two paychecks and back pay from his time working at the restaurant.

In addition to the missing pay, Jefferson also said that about 30 employees were fired in the two months the restaurant was operating.

"It was the lack of employees that made the job a lot harder," said Jefferson, 45, of the City of Poughkeepsie.

Burnell did not respond to a request to confirm whether the department received Glenn’s complaint.

The restaurant employed about 140 hourly workers and five managers, Henderson said in January.

Golden Corral closed after falling out of compliance with the corporation’s franchise agreement, Marks said.

“It’s unprecedented,” he said Wednesday. “Golden Corral has never had a restaurant close so quickly after opening.”

A sign on the restaurant’s doors Tuesday read, “Sorry for any inconvince [sic] but we are closed until further notice.” The restaurant’s answering machine also states that the business is closed.

Golden Corral’s prolonged opened was marred by several delays from its initial scheduled opening in September to the eventual grand opening on Jan. 27. Issues with the building’s gas line, inspection schedules and supplies on back order all contributed to delays, Henderson said in January.

The restaurant briefly closed a week after opening to “get all the kinks out” before reopening on Feb. 14, Henderson said in a February interview.

The Town of Poughkeepsie restaurant marked the first Golden Corral opening in Dutchess County.

Golden Corral’s future plans in the mid-Hudson Valley are uncertain, Marks said. Anfran Realty owns the property.

Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4882, Twitter: Geoff_LW

Note: A previous version of this story indicated an incorrect property owner.