A highly anticipated north Denver brunch restaurant and bakery that opened in mid-July has already become embroiled in a dispute between its owner and some of the staff.
Ruby’s Good Shoes at 5405 E. 33rd Ave held its grand opening in Denver’s North Park Hill neighborhood on July 20.
But both the chef and general manager initially hired at the restaurant told The Denver Post on Friday that the owner, Hasena Williams, has treated employees poorly and failed to pay them fully.
Former general manager Isaiah Morales said he quit two days before the grand opening due to her demeaning behavior and long hours. He also said Williams hasn’t paid him, and the two remain in a dispute over the terms of his contract.
Most of the remaining staff of 33 quit Friday after meeting with Williams to get their paychecks, Morales said Monday. The former chef, who asked not to be named, claimed that Williams cut his check only after he agreed to relinquish the waffle batter recipe he’d crafted.
Williams tells a different story. In an email to The Denver Post on Friday, she said she’d hired Morales to accomplish certain tasks, “none of which were fulfilled at a satisfactory level.”
“Not only did he provide subpar deliverables, he hired a large group of unskilled employees that have cost me quite a bit in waste, labor expense, poor customer experience, and created a hostile work environment,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, I’m left picking up the pieces of his mess.”
She did not respond to additional requests for comment.
Morales said he has filed a dispute with the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment and that Williams owes him $4,000 for his work. He claimed Williams asked him to work seven days a week and that she wanted to know whether she could pay employees less than minimum wage.
Denver property records showed a company registered by Williams, Choose Red LLC, bought the Ruby’s Good Shoes building from the Union Baptist Church for $900,000 last year.
